Pendragon Chronicles: Guerra Y Paz
by Lordoftheghostking28
Summary: Book one. Bobby and Press head to First Earth...where things aren't quite the same as the game. M for violence, peril and language.
1. Chapter 1

**PENDRAGON CHRONICLES BOOK 1: GUERRA Y PAZ**

**Well, here I am with the first book in the series. I suppose this is going to be rated M for…guns 'n stuff. And some harsh language and violence **_**with**_** the guns and war themes. Also that torture scene that seems to be in every Metal Gear game. **

**Also, the beginning chapter/prologue thingy is in the **_**Pendrago**_**n category here on FanFiction. Search books and look for the P's. Or go to my channel. I think that would be easier. I highly recommend reading this beginning thing before this. Don't worry, it's short.**

**Oh, I should explain something: the POV switches from the main character, Bobby, to his friends occasionally. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it rather quickly. **

**The beginning more or less sticks to the beginning of the first **_**Pendragon**_** book, **_**The Merchant of Death**_**. But once Bobby and Press hit the Territory…it all changes. Read on, good readers. **

**And without further interruptions… the first chapter.**

**XxXxXxXx**

**SECOND EARTH**

**XxXxXxXx**

"Hold on, hold on, hold on…" I muttered. "Where exactly is the Flume?"

"I'll have to show you." Press grinned. He tossed me a motorcycle helmet. "Put it on and hurry!"

I strapped the thing on my head and sat behind him on the motorcycle. He revved it and we shot down the street. "Hey, one question…what the heck is my mom going to think about this?"

"We don't need to worry about that until later." Press said.

Was I imagining things, or was there a hint of sadness in his voice…?

We rode for what felt like a good hour or so. We passed the towns I knew so well and continued on, to a not-so-safe looking neighborhood. Buildings were abandoned, windows smashed. Some buildings had caught fire and were still standing, the long-ago scorch marks still lining the windows and doors.

"Here we are." Press said, standing and leaving his helmet. He turned the 'cycle off, but kept the keys in the ignition.

"Um…why did you leave those…?" I asked.

"We don't need them anymore. The Acolytes will take care of it."

I wanted nothing more than to jump back on the vehicle and go back the way we had come, with or without Uncle Press.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because we're going to First Earth, stupid!" Press laughed. "Now come on."

I followed him into an old subway station. It looked like it hadn't been used in years. Everywhere I looked, I could see old cans, bottles and boxes. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"I've been here a million times, Bobby. Trust me." Press said.

I have to admit, I was having a bit of a hard time with that. This just kept getting weirder and weirder.

We came to a boarded up section of the station. Press began tearing a few boards away only to be interrupted by a shout.

"CAN I GET _ANY_ PEACE?!"

I jumped and spun around to see a homeless man dressed in rags shaking a half-empty beer bottle at us. "That is all I want! Peace! Leave me alone!"

"Sorry, we don't mean to intrude. We'll be out of here in no time. Sorry for intruding…" Press said. He began pulling the boards away a bit faster.

"Out! Get _out_!" The man continued.

"Yes…you should do what he says."

I jumped again at the new voice that came from my right. Standing there was a police officer in khakis and a blue shirt. He had a flashlight and what I assumed to be a Tazer.

"You're not fooling anyone, Saint Dane." Press said, going back to work on the boards.

"Saint Dane…?" I blinked.

"The police officers around here don't wear khakis." Press continued.

"PEACE! OUT! ALL OF YOU! _OUT_!"

The officer shrugged. His voice changed. "My mistake."

I watched as he changed from a middle-aged man to the tall, vampire-like one I had seen before in Press' house. He cast me a wicked grin. "Hello again, Bobby. I didn't expect Press to drag you out here so soon…so young, too…"

"Shut up," Uncle Press growled. "Leave Bobby alone. Besides, don't you have unfinished business on First Earth?"

"Oh, I'd say it's quite finished. Can the oh-so-brave Travelers save them…? We'll just have to see. I went easy on you two. This is his first Territory, after all." Saint Dane chuckled.

"GET OUT! I'LL CALL THE POLICE!" The homeless man continued.

Saint Dane whirled around to face him, his eyes flashing dangerous colours. The man gasped and then stood, running for us.

"Bobby, don't look…" Press warned.

"Let him watch. He'll see plenty of death as a Traveler." Saint Dane grinned.

I watched in horror as the man stopped on the abandoned subway tracks and stared down the tunnel. A rumbling began, deep in the cavern of the subway. A light illuminated the man…

"_MOVE_!" I shouted.

The man stared at me, as though confused. His eyes unfocused. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his reply was cut off as the subway slammed into him.

I thought I screamed something. Saint Dane laughed. Press lowered his head and continued working with the blockade. A good sized hole had appeared.

"Come on, Bobby…let's go…"

"Ah-ah-ah…! Not so fast!" Saint Dane was still grinning madly. The thing I thought was a Tazer was aimed at my head. It was some type of gun, although I couldn't identify it.

"Bobby, run," Uncle Press pulled his own weapon from his side. "Use the ring. Get to the Flume. It has a star on it. Say, 'First Earth'. Watch out for quigs. Wait for me."

"Got it…what are quigs…?"

"Go!" Press had began firing.

I ducked and ran through the boards. A bullet grazed my shoe, narrowly missing my foot. I kept running. "Flume! Star! First Earth! Quigs! Don't get shot! Got it!"

It was dark, but I thought I saw something glowing up ahead. I ran toward it. It was a star…! I made it!

"First Earth!" I declared.

Nothing happened.

Something growled.

"Uh oh…" I turned. What I saw in front of me nearly made my heart stop.

At least five sets of beady yellow eyes were staring at me. The growling started up again, and I realized I was staring down a group of extremely large dogs.

"Nice doggies…" I whispered. My hand touched something…a doorknob. I quickly turned it and ducked into the room.

The dogs attacked the door, clawing and snarling. I held it shut, feeling them throw themselves against the wood with incredible force.

"_First Earth!_" I shouted.

From within the room, I thought I heard music. It began growing louder, a sweet little, chaotic tune. A light formed and grew. Crystals coated the stones in the wall. I was being pulled to it.

I tried to resist, but I was swept off my feet and thrown through the light. I was resting on a cloud of air and music, the sweet tune still playing.

I was totally freaked out. I don't think I stopped screaming once.

I was deposited on my back in some plants. Only then did I stop screaming. I lay there, staring at the star shape in the hollow inside of a tree. I thought I was going to pass out.

"Uncle Press…?" I whispered.

No response.

I realized I was still clenching the ring in my hand. I slipped it onto my finger and began taking deep breaths, trying to regain my senses. I wondered where I was. There was a pile of clothes nearby the Flume, and I wondered if that was the only remains of the last person to come though here.

I stood and used the side of the tree as a support. I glanced around the side of the Flume. I was somewhere in a forest. The ground was completely covered in plants and trees. I seemed to be in the middle of it. Where ever…the middle of '_it_' was…

"Holy crap…" I muttered. I sat next to the tree and leaned against it for what I estimated to be an hour, but it sure seemed longer than that. I think I prayed.

Anyway, after that hour of terrible loneliness and intense fear, I heard music coming from the Flume. I scrambled up and stood by the entrance. I really hoped it was Uncle Press and not Saint Dane…

The music grew louder and there was a blinding flash of light.

"I'm glad you got here okay." Press said.  
I blinked the spots away from my eyes and nodded. "Y…yeah…what took so long? I could have gotten eaten by those quig-dogs!"

"Oh no. First Earth quigs are different from Second Earth's," Press said, ruffling my hair as if I had asked a stupid question. "You would have gotten stung to death by killer bees."

Oh boy. _That_ made me feel better.

"Now get changed." Press threw me shoes, pants, and a plain shirt.

"Why? What's wrong with my clothes?" I asked.

"Nothing. But we cannot afford to mix the Territories." Press walked around the side of the tree. "You've got five minutes to change."

I sighed and pulled my shirt and pants off, hurriedly pulling the other First Earth clothes on. I kept my boxers, though. I needed a little piece of home.

"Now come on, there's really no time to waste." Press began walking away from the Flume, already changed. "We need to meet up with the Traveler here. We need to see how much damage Saint Dane managed to do in such a short amount of time."

"Where are we?" I blurted out. "And don't say First Earth. I know that already…I want to know what game is based off this place. I mean…the forest is nice and all, but about a thousand games out there take place in the woods…"

"Duck," Press grabbed the back of my shirt and pushed me to the ground.

We fell just as a gunshot rang out, striking the tree behind us. Wood and bark splintered off and somehow managed to work itself into the back of my shirt collar.

"O…okay…" I stuttered. "Snipers and woods! That narrows it down!"

"Unfortunately, there were no weapons at the Flume." Press muttered. "But whoever shot won't come after us. I know the enemy pretty well here. They won't move unless instructed to."

"So…we just wait…?" I asked.

"And keep your head down."

I let my face fall into the dirt with a rather terrified and you-can't-be-serious groan.

"Don't worry. If there are snipers set up here, they must be after something. Someone on our side should show up," Press grinned. "Eventually."

"I think I'd rather have that guy shoot me."

"I'll see if I can distract him." Press slowly began to crawl along the ground on his stomach, inching for a small hill. He picked up a rock and lobbed it as hard as he could over the side of the hill. I heard it hit the ground a few seconds later, followed with a surprised shout.

"What was that?"

"Was that a grenade?"

"Move!"

The sounds of boots crunching leaves were heard as the snipers ran off. Press motioned for me to follow him and we hurriedly bolted down a beaten trail.

"What was that?"

Press froze and I nearly ran into his back. He stood completely still, eyes locked on a man with a gun not ten feet away. Luckily, some pretty heavy bushes and trees obscured his view of us, so there was a slight chance he hadn't seen us yet. I held my breath as he used the muzzle of his gun to move the branches aside.

He was wearing a ski mask, or something similar to it. He wore green camouflage, with some sort of armband. A belt of supplies was around his waist, and a deadly looking gun was being pointed our way.

He jumped, his eyes growing slightly wide as he finally saw us. He hesitated slightly before pulling a radio from his belt and speaking into it. "Hostiles…west side. I need backup."

"We're unarmed." Press said bluntly.

"Y…yeah," I added.

"_On our way_," the man's radio responded.

"State your name, rank and business," the soldier demanded. His gun's barrel settled, pointed at my head.

"Lone Wolf. Soldier. Espionage." Press responded without missing a beat.

"Are you with FOXHOUND?"

"I'm with no one." Press hissed.

"Come with me."

That was seconds before all hell broke loose. Shots rang out in the background, all from different types of guns. The solder spun around, surprised, and began to take aim at a running figure.

Press wasted no time. He wrapped an arm around the solder's neck and pulled the gun from his grip, throwing it to me. "Pick it up, Bobby, and use it!"

"I don't know how!" I protested.

"Then you're going to have to learn…fast!"

I picked up the weapon without a clue on how to hold it or what to do with it. I didn't want to shoot anyone…I wasn't a killer! I glanced back at Uncle Press for a bit of help.

"Just aim it at anyone with a hood! You don't have to shoot, just make sure they know you mean business!" Press shouted.

A bullet struck close to us, splintering a tree and sending a branch falling close to my head. I shakily held the gun up and stared through the crosshairs as Press went to work interrogating the soldier we had taken hostage.

Unlike the masked soldiers that all seemed to look alike, there were now other people running around shooting, or waving knives in the air. These people didn't look organized or lead by one individual person. They were in a frantic free-for-all.

"Let me go!" the soldier pleaded behind me. "I told you everything you wanted to know! Let me go!"

One of the random fighters took an interest in us. She ran over, twin pistols at the ready, screaming something so fast I couldn't make sense of what she said.

"I'll shoot!" I threatened. "I will! Go away!" The gun shook in my hands, and even though I could make out every one of her eyelashes through the scope, I doubted I would be able to hit her.

"_¡VIVA EL LOBO!_" she cried.

She didn't shoot me or Press. Instead, she ran right by me and holstered her pistols before slamming into my uncle in a hug. The soldier he had been interrogating was thrown to the ground.

I blinked. I never knew Press was good with the ladies.

The soldier was trying to crawl away. I aimed the gun at him and shook my head. He sat and stared out into the battle, looking anxious.

"Press, who is this?" I asked, not taking my sight off the soldier.

"Bobby, this is Amanda. Amanda Valenciano Libre." Press grinned.

I glanced over. I figured I had better get to know what an ally looked like. Amanda was covered in dust and debris, but she still was surprisingly pretty. She had short, wild brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a green scarf over her nose and mouth like a mask. She also wore a black tank-top-ish thing (What do I know about clothes?) and black jeans. She gave me a wave.

"And what's with all these random people running around?" I asked. "It's kinda freaking me out…"

"They're with me." Amanda said. She waved a gun into the air and shouted something I didn't quite catch. Her people immediately paid her attention, no matter what they were doing at the time. One guy had locked one of the hooded people in a headlock.

"Back to Mother Base!" Amanda shouted. "I'll meet you all there!"

"What about the mission?" Someone called.

"The mission can wait! We have a new member to join our ranks!"

"Who?" I asked stupidly. The soldier I had in my sights chose that time to make a run for it. I made a move to shoot, or at least follow, but Press grabbed the back of my shirt.

"Let him go. We'll deal with him later."

"Are you sure?" I protested. The soldier was still within my crosshairs…

"Positive. Come on, now. We have a new member to welcome into our ranks."

I realized everyone was staring at me. "Oh, you've got to be kidding…"

**XxXxXxXx**

** I think my least favourite part of any FanFiction is the beginning, where you have to build up stuff to get into the big stuff.**

** Unless you're writing a fast-paced murder mystery or something. **

** So bear with me…more stuff is on the way. More stuff and a lot of explanation things. **

** I'm hoping to update this story with another chapter in two weeks or more.**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

**XxXxXxXx**

**Agh, I didn't upload last week, did I? Sorry… and this chapter's short. **

**So you know what that means?**

**IT MEANS AN UPDATE SOMETIME WITHIN THIS WEEK BECAUSE THIS CHAPTER IS SO DAMNED SHORT!**

**But until then, enjoy this one! **

** XxXxXxXx**

** SECOND EARTH**

**XxXxXxXx**

Mark Diamond was that typical nerdy, slightly clumsy kid every school had. How he and Bobby had become friends in the first place was a slight bit of a mystery.

Mark had messy black hair and large framed glasses. He always had a bag of baby carrots in his pocket. He truly believed that eating carrots would improve his eyesight…but so far, no results. He was currently sitting in his fourth period math class; his mind on anything but the subject.

He was fiddling with a ring around his right index finger. He couldn't remember how he had gotten it…he was fairly certain he had woken up with it on. Perhaps his mom played a strange joke…?

"Mark, are you listening?"

Mark jumped in his seat and pulled his overly long shirt sleeves over his hand. "Y…yes…"

His teacher tapped the whiteboard with a dry-erase marker. Mathematical equations filled the entire thing. "Then can you kindly tell us the answer?"

"Uh…" Mark stuttered. "Um…if all that is c-correct up there…then the answer is…" He trailed off.

A few kids snickered. The person behind him kicked the back of his chair.

"I'm waiting," the teacher said.

"Uh…" The ring on his finger began to heat up. "I…um…" It felt as though it was growing…

"I uh…I gotta go to the bathroom!" Mark shouted, jumping up from his desk and running to the door, hand clasped over his ring. His teacher shouted something at him, but he was already halfway down the hall.

He barely made it to the bathroom. The ring was making strange sounds as he took it off his finger and nearly threw it. Where it landed on the tiles, a burst of light flashed, catching him by surprise. The strange sounds turned to music.

Mark covered his eyes as the lights flashed once more before it declined; music and lights vanishing as fast as they had come.

Lying next to the ring was a small notebook addressed to him.

"What the…?" Mark shakily approached the ring and papers and retrieved them. He began to flip through the pages, disbelief filling his face.

_Mark?_

_Hey, man. I'm not entirely sure if this is really happening, but if it is, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. So much has happened in the past day…I'm still trying to take it all in…_

**XxXxXxXx**

** FIRST EARTH**

** XxXxXxXx**

Let's get one thing straight…

I _hate_ heights. I absolutely despise them.

But Amanda and her little group didn't pay me any attention.

It turns out we had to get back to their Mother Base by a 'rather exciting balloon ride', as Uncle Press put it. It was anything but that. I threw up twice.

They called this method of transportation _Fulton Recovery_…I like to call it, _the worst freaking ride of my life_. They strapped a harness onto me and then attached the balloon, and whoosh! Off I went. We were delivered to a waiting helicopter.

By the time we made it back to their base, which was located in _THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING OCEAN_, I couldn't stand on my own; even after the relaxing helicopter ride. That balloon part really scared me senseless.

"It's just the first time, hun. You'll get used to it." Amanda promised with a smile.

I managed a weak head shake and a pitiful look. She helped me stand and Press led me inside.

"It really is just the first time thing," he said. "When they shipped me back here for the first time, I was worse than you."

"I find that hard to believe," I groaned. "Where are you taking me?"

"Sick bay. You look like you need a bit of time to recover."

"Gee, thanks," I growled. "Do they offer therapy? Because what I went through in the last few hours alone are enough to drive me insane…"

Press laughed, but it was a bitter, almost forced laugh. "There's more to it."

I sighed heavily and focused on not coating the hallways with the contents of my stomach.

We eventually made it to a pair of oaken double doors. Press opened them and declared, "We've got one for you, Para-Medic!"

We entered into a large room. Beds were lined against the walls, small stands nearby them. Medical supplies were stashed in a large closet. It smelled of disinfectant and some kind of cleaning supplies.

A fairly young girl with short, dark hair came from another door. She was dressed in white doctor's scrubs and looked fairly bored. Her face immediately brightened when she saw Press.

"You…you weren't gone even a week…!" she stuttered.

"Was I?" Press said. "I thought I did a bit better than last time."

"Who's this?" the woman's attention shifted to me.

"I'm Bobby. Bobby Pendragon. Press' nephew." I extended a hand.

She removed a rubber latex glove from her hand and gave me a hearty shake. "Pleased to meet you, Bobby. I'm Para-Medic, chief medical officer of the Mother Base. Press has told me so much about you."

"He has?" I asked.

"I was curious about the new member that would soon join our ranks." Para-Medic shrugged and tugged the glove back on. "Everyone was. I'm sure you'll get the chance to speak with them later on."

"Wait…_everyone_?!" I blinked.

"Everyone in Mother Base. It's not every day a young person joins our ranks. In fact, maybe you and Paz will get along…"

"Er…Para-Medic, Bobby used the Fulton Recovery system for the first time…he didn't respond well to it." Press changed the conversation. I silently thanked him, as I felt as though I was about to flip with the amount of fame I currently had bestowed upon me from the Base's occupants. I don't like to feel like a celebrity.

"Oh, right. I suppose that's why you showed up here first." Para-Medic motioned to a bed in the corner. "Take a seat there or lie down. If you don't feel better in a few minutes, holler for me. I've got medical records to fill out."

She walked back into the room she had exited to greet us. I hobbled to the bed and lay down, grateful for the soft pillow.

"I'll leave you here for now. If you need me, tell Para-Medic I'll be in the Intelligence Unit." Press headed out of the sick bay, leaving me in nearly complete silence, save for the occasional shuffling of Para-Medic's papers in the background.

I must have dozed off at some point. I awoke from the sun's red rays shining in my face as it began to set. I sat up, feeling much better than I had been before.

"You're up at last?" Para-Medic was standing in the doorway of the adjacent room.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged and yawned.

"Good. You won't miss dinner after all." She smiled. "That is, if you're up for it."

"I think so." I responded, slowly getting to my feet.

"There isn't anything a good rest can't cure." Para-Medic said. "Come on. I'll show you to the mess hall."

We headed out of the sick bay to the hallway. She lead me down said hallway and up two flights of stairs before we came to another set of double doors. She pushed them open and we entered into a large room filled with tables, chairs and people.

Almost as soon as we stepped foot into the room, the chatting and laughing abruptly stopped. They all turned and stared at me.

"Everyone, this is Bobby Pendragon. Press' nephew and newly recruited member." Para-Medic said.

There was a second's worth of silence before they all rose to their feet and saluted. One man walked my way and held out a hand. He had a crushing grip.

"Welcome to Mother Base, Pendragon," he said in a hushed, deep, gruff voice. "I'm the leader here, and the next Traveler of First Earth. Call me…Snake."

I was pretty sure my mouth fell open.

So that's where I'm leaving this journal off. I hope you're reading this, Mark. Heck, I hope _anybody's_ reading this…

See ya, buddy.

**XxXxXxXx**

** SECOND EARTH**

** XxXxXxXx**

_See ya, buddy._

Mark gathered up the papers and ran out of the bathroom. He reached his locker and had to input the combination three times before the lock deactivated due to shaking fingers.

He stashed the papers in his pack and slammed the door shut, leaning against it. He held the ring in his hand, examining the strange symbols around the stone. Eight symbols in all, all with a different sign. Signs of the Territories, maybe?

And could he write back to Bobby?

It was worth a shot…

He opened the locker again and retrieved some paper and a pen. He began writing in the hallway, scribbling as fast as he could.

"What are you doing?"

Mark jumped and stared up at Courtney Chetwynde, the girl Bobby had had a crush on since forever.

Courtney was a rather sporty, tomboyish girl who didn't follow most crowds. She was wearing a t-shirt and soccer shorts, a soccer ball held under one arm. Her blonde hair was back in a ponytail.

"Well? Mark? What are you doing?"

"I'm…w-writing…" Mark stuttered.

"In the hallway? We have desks for that, you know."

"Y-yeah…I know…"

"Who are you writing to?" Courtney continued.

"Um…Bobby…"

"Bobby? Don't you see him every day, anyway?" She thought for a second. "Now that I think about it, though…he isn't here today, is he?"

Mark shook his head. "He's…uh…sick."

"Right," Courtney nodded. "Then why are you writing a letter to him when you can just visit him?"

"Um…"

Courtney raised an eyebrow.

"He's in the hospital…!" Mark stammered.

"Really?" Courtney looked shocked. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah…uh, I have to g-get back to class…" Mark gathered his papers up and hurried down the hall.

Courtney cast him a strange look as he went. She shrugged and headed to the gym, making a mental note to call the Pendragons at a later time.

** XxXxXxXx**

** Heck, I also hope someone is reading this as well.**

** Anyway, now that most of the major characters are introduced, the next few chapters won't be so boring. The beginnings of series for me are always so FREAKING DULL. **

** But now they hopefully won't be. **

** Please, please, please, leave a review. I really need to hear from who's reading this and what they think of it so far. I need to know if I need to make improvements. I'm trying to make this my best series yet. **

** So please leave your thoughts and feelings in that little review space. Reviews make me happy and brighten up my dull days.**

** So until I upload again…**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

**XxXxXxXx**

**Just a small thing to keep in mind: these Territories are based off of video games. Bobby has played a Metal Gear game, but doesn't exactly remember most of it. And the events in the games are drastically different from the Territories.**

**And sorry about the crappy upload schedule I'm on...I nearly forgot about updating at all until the weekend...damn practice ACT test nearly broke my brain...**

**Aaagh... Anyway, thanks for reading this far into the story and still sticking with it.**

**There's a big chunk of important info in this chapter for upcoming events, so sit tight. Also some other characters are introduced.**

** XxXxXxXx**

** FIRST EARTH**

** XxXxXxXx**

Snake…the soon-to-be Traveler of First Earth. I should have seen that coming. But…who was currently the Traveler…?

He wore an olive coloured shirt and pants covered in pockets, three pistols in holsters strapped to his belt. He held out a gloved hand save for his thumb, index and middle finger and I shook it. His trademark bandana/headband thing was around his forehead.

"P…pleased to meet you…sir," I said.

Snake nodded. "Just call me Snake."

I had played a Metal Gear gameback on Second Earth. It was an awesome and slightly confusing game, but I liked it. I assumed the events of the game had already passed, unless the game mixed up First Earth's timeline into a more follow-able path…Get what I'm saying, Mark?

No?

Well, you'll see a bit later. It wasn't as I thought it would be, either.

"Press and I have a lot to explain to you," Snake continued. "We'll talk in my quarters. Get some food first."

I nodded. Snake turned to the still saluting troops in the background and announced, "At ease!"

They returned to whatever they were doing beforehand, some still shooting glances at me. I began to wonder if they knew I was a Traveler or something. The looks they were giving me were as if I wasn't human. Press and I went to get some food while Snake headed out of the mess hall.

There was pretty decent food in the Mother Base. Pasta, vegetables, fruit…even some wine for the other men and a sweet, fruity blend of some sort. I stuffed myself.

"There usually isn't much variety here," Press said. "But there is plenty to go around."

"So…pasta for every meal?" I asked, chugging some of the fruity drink.

"Mostly. We do have sandwiches occasionally and sometimes soup."

"I can live with that." I said.

"If you're done here, we can head on over to Snake's quarters." Press stood.

"Yeah," I nodded, following him out of the mess hall. "Uncle Press?"

"I know what you're going to ask," he said, glancing over his shoulder and giving me a small smile. "Is this place like the games?"

"Yeah…is it?" We had reached the hallway, where it was a great deal quieter.

"In some aspects, yes. In most, no."

"How so?"

"The creator of the games guessed at a great deal of things," Press said. "He created new characters to fill gaps and move the story along. Unfortunately, he guessed correct at many things. Some things here are not meant to happen…but they are. I don't know where he got the ideas to create what he did in the games, but many of the places and people he had made up are real. For example, the Big Shell, in _Sons of Liberty_. We have people deployed there as we speak, searching for the hostages. I cannot yet tell if, like in the game, it is a Metal Gear."

"Whoa…" I muttered. "So…was the creator of the games predicting the future?"

"My only conclusion is Saint Dane had inspired him," Press said. "Inspired him to give gamers a slight taste of the other First Earth he was planning on creating."

"So, if the games are inspired by Saint Dane, then it's really First Earth…but twisted to his liking?" I guessed.

"Bingo," Press snapped his fingers. "That's how he hopes to twist them. Without Snake being the hero, of course. He just wants destruction."

"Wow…"

We had come to the bottom of a long flight of stairs. We passed open doors leading into rooms filled with bunk beds, two small trunks at the foot of each one. I figured those were the guys' barracks, due to the pin-up posters of girls everywhere. I chuckled slightly.

Press rolled his eyes and pointed down the hall. "Snake, being the leader here, has his own room."

A single door at the end of the hallway was shut. Press knocked, and Snake mumbled, "Come in."

The door opened into a small room occupied by a desk strewn with papers, a bed shoved into the far corner, and a small porthole window overlooking the vast ocean. Two chairs were stacked on top of each other in a half-shut closet. Snake was sitting at the desk, reading over a paper. He put it down as we entered.

"I suppose I might as well explain everything to you from the beginning," he said. "Take a seat, both of you." He motioned to the chairs stashed away.

I handed one to Press and pushed the other into the room. I sat and waited.

"What I am about to share with you is classified," Snake said firmly. "You are not to repeat anything you've heard to the men, otherwise I will be forced to kill you, Traveler or not."

Whoa. He meant business.

"We are a group of people with one specific goal in mind," Snake dug something out of the desk's drawer and tossed it to me. "We find and destroy Metal Gear. We are FOXHOUND."

"FOXHOUND? I thought you…" I trailed off. Now I was extremely confused.

I thought Snake _worked_ for FOXHOUND. I never suspected he would run it…

"There is a terrorist organization working to mass produce Metal Gear at a terrifying rate. Governments around the world are buying into them, as they want protection from each other. The Metal Gear come in many shapes and sizes. There are Metal Gear REX, Shagohads…even some disguised as normal tanks."

I held up the thing he had thrown at me. It was a shirt, covered in pockets and the same olive green as the one Snake had. On the shoulder was the FOXHOUND badge, sewn into the fabric. It looked to be my size.

"This would be bad enough if they hadn't kidnapped two of our most brilliant minds," Snake said. "Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov and Huey Emmerich."

"Emmerich? That sounds familiar…" I muttered.

"He is the father of my comrade, Hal Emmerich. Otherwise known as Otacon. Perhaps Press had already told you."

"Yeah," I said quickly. "He did."

"They are being held to complete their Metal Gear. One of our current missions is to track them down and rescue them."

"Sounds important." I said.

"It is very." Snake said, completely expressionless. "Beside them, we have had a mole in our ranks. My mentor and friend had defected to the terrorists. She left with a small group with members of the terrorist organization known as The Pain, The End and Vulgin. She was also the Traveler of First Earth."

He handed me a photograph. There were three people standing in a helicopter, looking down at a bridge at a woman carrying a case of some sort. One of them had hideous scars lining his face, one was hunched over and extremely old, judging by the beard growing from his chin, and the last looked as though he was smoking. Literally. Smoke was circling him.

"The scarred one is Vulgin," Snake said. "The woman is The Boss, my mentor. The old man is The End, and the one swarmed with wasps is The Pain."

Wasps were a lot scarier than smoke. That guy really freaked me out.

"But they aren't the only ones with Intel from the inside." Press said.

"Yes. We too, have inside help. She goes by the codename EVA." Snake retrieved the photograph. "She is our best double-agent and has saved many lives."

"She's destroyed five Metal Gear single-handedly." Press added.

"Wow!" I said.

"The terrorist organization has many recruited," Snake continued, changing the subject. He handed me another photograph. "This is a Metal Gear REX. In front of it are some of its creators. From left to right, Vamp, Fortune, Revolver-Ocelot, and Liquid."

The REX looked like something out of _Star Wars_. It was painted camouflage, and it stood on two legs, facing the camera. The people in front of it were…interesting.

Vamp was a smooth looking guy. He wore a trench coat that was open in the front and black pants. His black hair was slicked back and rather pointed teeth shone from his mouth. A dark-skinned girl hung around his neck, beaming at the camera. That must have been Fortune. Her hair was dyed blonde, and her lips were covered in light lipstick. I thought it was a bit odd, but whatever. She wore what I thought was a one-piece swimsuit, but it was zippered down the front. Again, odd. A giant gun thing was strapped to her back. The man named Revolver-Ocelot was fairly young, with short-cut hair and a rather serious look on his face. His uniform was decorated with medals. A red scarf was wrapped around his neck. He looked extremely professional. The last man looked almost identical to Snake. The only differences were his hair was blonde and he was wearing different clothes. He wore a trench coat like Vamp, except his was lighter in colour. He also wore dark pants and boots. He and Ocelot were not smiling.

"They look…interesting." I handed the photo back.

"Ocelot is one of the leaders." Snake said. "He organized the kidnapping of Huey and Sokolov, as we have found out fairly recently."

"So watch out for these guys?" I asked.

Snake nodded.

"Got it." I said.

"I have evidence that Saint Dane has influenced the terrorists." Snake continued. "One of the newer Metal Gear was released to America with the name, 'SAINT'. It was a bipedal machine with elaborate designs painted into its camouflage, almost like the Flume's changing images. Of course, I was the one to find it and destroy it first. He had it planned out."

"Oh no…" I muttered.

"We do know he does not suspect our double-agent." Snake said. "He knows someone has been relaying information, but he does not know who. EVA is safe for the time being."

"Good." I said.

"In the morning, Press, we have an Alpha II team scheduled to head out to the Big Shell. We need those hostages found. We have recently learned the President of the United States is among them." Snake turned to my uncle. "You are listed for duty?"

"Yeah." Press said.

"Do I get to come too?" I asked.

Snake laughed. My hopes fell.

"No. Like any soldier, you must earn your way up in the ranks. You are assigned to mess hall cleanup after every meal. You also should check into the Intelligence Labs. They need more people as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir," I muttered.

"Good." Snake ruffled my hair like Press sometimes did. "Don't worry, kid. You'll see some action soon enough."

** XxXxXxXx**

I was the Traveler! I should be doing some Traveler stuff! Not washing dishes!

Anyway, this place was completely different from what I expected. I never would have suspected Saint Dane had already weaseled his way into the terrorists' group like that, but then again…I still have a lot to learn.

I had already learned that washing dishes was not fun. I had been constantly scrubbing leftover food off of them for at least an hour and a half. Uncle Press was nowhere around, and it sort of ticked me off slightly.

"Hey…uh…where's my uncle?" I asked one of the soldiers working alongside me.

"Your uncle…? You mean Lone Wolf?" he said.

"Yeah…does everyone get a new name here?" I dried another plate off.

"Well, you don't need a name…just something so everyone can distinguish you from the others," the man said. "To answer your question, he's in mission prep. He's leaving in the morning for the Big Shell."

"Oh," I muttered. That's right.

"If you haven't received a code name, I would suggest taking it up with the boss. He assigns you a borderline shitty name, but as you work your way through the ranks, you receive a new one. It takes some getting used to, but you'll get used to it." He put a pile of silverware away. "Take mine, for example. I'm Lobster."

I thought he was fairly accurately named. His hair was as red as it could get and cut short, just enough to keep it out of his face. He had the brightest, green eyes I had ever seen and the most welcoming smile. He looked to be around the age of twenty five or so and fairly ripped, and I found out later he had been training with the combat unit (He was especially good with rocket launchers). He was wearing a uniform similar to mine.

"Hi," I said. "Have you been here for a while?"

"About half a year," He said. "I was rescued from the Germans along with a few others. It was a nasty battle, but we pulled through. Where are you and Lone Wolf from?"

"Uh…" I hesitated. "Well…it's kind of a long story. I would rather not tell it."

"Hey, I understand." Lobster shrugged. "Most of the guys here don't like to share stories either."

And that's how I made my first friend on another Territory. If you get the chance, Mark, you should try it some time.

** XxXxXxXx**

It got to be around eleven that night and Press was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Snake retrieved me from my working space (That was pretty clean by this point in time) and directed me to the barracks.

"How's Lone Wolf?" I asked, grinning.

"He's perfecting his battle techniques." Snake said. "He is one of our top soldiers. And that reminds me…you need a new name. That is, if you want one."

"Pick one for me." I said. "I'm not good at coming up with new titles."

Snake thought for a few seconds as we continued walking. "I have one."

"Yeah?"

"I think it is accurate," he continued, a smile curling his lips. "Mouse."

I inwardly groaned. "Isn't that a girl's name?"

"No," Snake grinned. "But it is a name that points out childish attitude and impatience. Both things, you have. But I'm sure that will change with a bit of training and responsibility."

We rounded a corner and nearly ran into a short girl. She stumbled back and glanced from me to Snake. "I'm sorry…_perdón_…" she said in a light, quiet voice.

She was about my height, with slightly curly blonde hair that reached her shoulders. She had beautiful blue eyes and a uniform that didn't match the others. It looked like some sort of extremely formal schoolwear.

"Paz, this is Mouse." Snake said.

I thought I blushed. I found myself staring at the ground. "H…hi, Paz…"

She giggled. "Hello, Mouse. Are you new here?"

"Yeah…joined today, actually," I rubbed the back of my head and stared at the wall. "How long have you been here?"

"This conversation can continue in the morning, so you can find the right words." Snake pushed my shoulder, nearly sending me tumbling over. I shot him a glare, but his eyes were fixed ahead. "Paz, I think Chico was looking for you a bit earlier."

"Oh, right, _Serpiente_…" Paz cast me another look. I managed to make eye contact with her without glancing away. "See you tomorrow, Mouse."

She hurried off.

"She should be about your age." Snake said, directing me down the rest of the hall toward the barracks. "I hope you two can actually look at each other without stuttering and causing a scene. She needs a friend."

"Hey, I didn't expect someone like…her around here!" I blabbered. "I thought everyone here was older!"

"Oh, no. Chico is the youngest here, at twelve."

"Really?"

"Yes." Snake motioned to a group of bunk beds in the corner. "Any one of those can be yours. Lights out is at twelve every night. Unless you're on the combat unit, there is no set wake-up call."

"Sweet." I claimed a top and threw my uniform jacket over it.

"The chest contains fresh clothes and other necessary items. You should be comfortable."

"I like it here already." I said.

"Good. Well, Mouse, welcome to Mother Base. You'll be staying here for a while." Snake grinned.

"I don't like my new name, though…" I sighed.

**XxXxXxXx**

Despite the snoring and overall noise, I slept pretty well. I woke up just as the sun shone through the window and quickly changed into the uniform I was provided in a bathroom. I dug through the trunk at the foot of my bed and was surprised to find paper and pencil. I grabbed it and began wondering the halls, wondering why the heck more people weren't around.

I found my way to the mess hall without too much trouble. Only a few people were sitting around tables; talking, eating or playing cards. I sat by myself in a corner and wrote this journal.

I was really pouring on the detail (Could you tell, Mark? I worked hard on this thing) when someone approached me and asked in a soft voice, "Um…can I sit here?"

I nodded and stashed the papers under the chair. "Yeah…! Of course, Paz!"

Paz smiled and sat across from me. "What are you doing?"

"Just writing. I like making up stories." I said. I didn't know how to explain the Traveler business and frankly, I didn't know if she knew about this sort of stuff.

"You're an author?"

"Yeah…I suppose so." I shrugged.

I could barely maintain eye contact with her. I thought I was blushing. She seemed much more interesting than when we had met in the hallway…perhaps that had been because I was tired and Snake was watching us. She had on a smart, dark-blue jacket on, top button undone, and a red tie and white dress shirt. Her blonde hair was wavier than yesterday. Maybe that was because of the humidity, living in the middle of the ocean and all…

"What kind of story?" She asked.

"Um…it's about a boy who goes on a crazy adventure," I said. "He doesn't know what he's doing, but he's guided by his family and friends."

"That sounds exciting," she grinned. The smile went perfect with her ocean coloured eyes…

"I suppose it is…" I couldn't help but smile back. I finally managed eye-contact. "I'm just at the part where the boy meets a new, beautiful companion."

(Oh, good Lord, Bobby. Why did you have to say that…)

It was Paz's turn to blush. She lifted a hand to her mouth and giggled. "May…May I ask this companion's name?"

Truth is, I hadn't thought this far. I opened my mouth and began stuttering slightly, trying to find a name that was similar to hers. I never got the chance.

The doors to the mess hall were thrown open as one of the soldiers rushed in. His uniform was torn and he had a wild look in his eye. "Every able-bodied person, report to the sick bay!" Just like that, he was gone again.

Paz and I exchanged looks. "I…I suppose we should go." She said almost silently.

"Yeah," I left the journal under the chair and followed her out of the mess hall and down to the sick bay. Along the way, I could have sworn the walls had been painted a darker grey than before. Perhaps that was just my imagination…

We were met with a huge group of soldiers standing outside the sick bay. Some were rushing around, medical supplies in hand, but most were slumped against the walls, injured and bleeding. I didn't know what to do. I had never seen so many people hurt like this.

"Mouse!" Paz grabbed my arm and pulled me to a man who was slouched into the far corner. His hand was clenched tightly over a wound in his left arm, blood spilling around his fingers. His uniform's sleeve was completely torn off from his injured limb and wrapped around the damage done to his flesh. His teeth were gritted in immense pain.

Paz stooped by him and quickly said, "We're going to help you."

The man sucked in a deep breath. "It's just a surface wound…nothing to worry about."

"We're going to help you." Paz firmly repeated. She stood and motioned to me. "Get bandages and disinfectant…now!"

I nodded and waded my way through the suffocating crowd of people to the sick bay doors and threw them open. Many more people were occupying it; others rushing around offering medicines to ease the pain and bandaging wounds. These people were all severely injured…I saw more than one man missing a limb, a bloody stump was all that remained. All the beds had been taken, and more people were slumped against the walls. The clean white of the room was gone, replaced by the rusty red that seemed to stain everything.

"Para-Medic!" I finally spotted who I was looking for.

She was handing a stack of supplies to a soldier with a bloodied bandage around his head. She glanced at me and quickly asked over the moans of the injured, "What do you need?"

"Bandages…disinfectant…anything you can spare!" I had no idea what I was doing.

She handed me a few gauze rolls and pads, disinfectant in a heavy glass bottle, a needle and thread stuck into a small pincushion, and a bullet.

"What's this for?" I held up the piece of metal.

"What are you talking about? Get out there and help those poor souls! It's all I can spare!" She returned to her frantic work, running over to the bedside of a man who had lost half of his face.

My stomach turned, but I forced myself to leave the sick bay. I made my way back to Paz, who had removed the soldier's makeshift bandage. She was covering his wound with her hand, her sleeve stained red. As soon as she saw me, she reached for the needle and thread. "The wound was more serious than I thought…"

"It was a knife," the soldier grit his teeth. "That bastard who slashed me…he escaped."

"Don't move," Paz commanded, digging the needle into his flesh.

I looked away and worked on unraveling some of the gauze. The soldier muttered curses. Paz finished stitching his injury and reached for the disinfectant, smearing red across the bottle. She motioned for me to dress the wound as she spread the disinfectant across the stitched lines in the soldier's skin.

I secured the bandages in place. Paz stood and handed me the bloodied supplies. "We've done all we can for now. Para-Medic will look after him later."

"Good…" I squeaked. As I glanced around the hall, I saw most of the men were getting medical attention, others standing and walking opposite of the sick bay, as directed by another soldier.

"They must have prepared another sick bay…" Paz sighed. "Well…I don't think we lost anyone…That's fortunate."

"Out here, anyway..." I glanced back at the sick bay doors. I thought I heard a scream. "Um…Paz? What's the bullet for?"

"Bite the bullet," she said.

"Excuse me?" I blinked.

"They—the injured— bite the bullet. So they don't distract us with screams. It's primitive, I know…but it's sometimes all we have."

"Oh," I drew in a deep breath.

** XxXxXxXx**

It was some time later. Paz and I were back in the mess hall, still too stunned to do anything or even strike up a conversation. No one but us occupied the room. My journal still lay under my chair. Paz's sleeves were still red.

"Wh…where did those soldiers come from?" I finally managed to ask.

"The Big Shell. They were inspecting it for Metal Gear…I think we got our answer." Paz whispered.

"The Big Shell?! My uncle was on that mission!" I nearly shouted.

The door was pushed open with a squeak. Paz and I turned to see Snake standing at the door, arms behind his back, looking for all the world like a typical general. He inhaled slowly and said, "Mouse, Lone Wolf was indeed with us at the Big Shell."

"And…?! Where is he?" I stood.

"He is listed as MIA," Snake continued. "Missing in Action. For all we know, he is still very much alive and well. Just a hostage."

"A hostage?! What happened? We have to go back!" I stumbled, almost in a daze, toward him. "We have to go back!"

"He wasn't the only one among the MIA." Snake said calmly, glaring daggers. "There were three others. Four of our best men. They had definitely planned this. We are sending a rescue team tomorrow."

"Put me on it!" I pleaded. "I want to go!"

He shot me a look until I fell silent. "You are on the reserves. If all doesn't go according to plan, Bravo Team will back up Alpha. Besides, I think you should meet the Acolyte."

"Acolyte?" Paz asked.

Snake shook his head. "He's…one of the MIA. You'll know him when you see him, Paz."

"When do we go?" I asked.

"Tomorrow, early afternoon. Keep in mind, your Bravo team will only be called upon if we fall into danger." Snake turned and walked out of the mess hall.

There was so much more I wanted to ask him…so many unanswered questions, I wanted to scream. I took a deep breath and began to relax slightly.

"I've never known anyone here with a code name like 'the Acolyte'." Paz said.

"He probably has two names he goes by." I sighed and headed back to the table. I retrieved the journal and began writing.

"In your story…You never told me the companion's name." Paz said with a small smile.

Despite everything that had happened in the last hour, I laughed. Little did I know there was more horror to come.

Lots more.

** XxXxXxXx**

** Oh noes, Press!**

** And Bobby's got a (girl)friend! This is a great start to this Traveling business, isn't it?**

** Ha ha, yeah right. It won't stay perfect forever. **

** And just who is this Acolyte? I can guarantee most of you will not really approve. **

** Anyway, until next time…**

** Read and review!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

** XxXxXxXx**

** SECOND EARTH**

** XxXxXxXx**

Courtney Chetwynde arrived home after the day's soccer practice and quickly retreated to her room, flopping onto her bed and pulling out a book. It was then she remembered she had one more thing to do before she could relax.

With a sigh, she sat up and pulled out her cell phone from a pocket, quickly finding Bobby's number.

She waited a few seconds, waiting for the phone at the Pendragons' residence to respond to the call. Nothing happened.

_ 'We're sorry, the number you have dialed has been disconnected. Please check the number and dial again…'_

Courtney checked the number. It was the same number she had always called. She tried again, getting the same result.

"Well, that's odd…" she muttered.

She sat up and tucked the phone back into her pocket. "Mom? I'm going to take a walk!" she called before heading out the front door.

Mark would know. After all, he knew something she didn't.

** XxXxXxXx**

** FIRST EARTH**

** XxXxXxXx**

I couldn't sleep that night due to the nightmares. Every time I thought I would drift off into sleep, I was greeted with the images of the soldiers sitting outside the sick bay…the blood…the pain. I would wake quickly after that.

The morning came slowly, and at some point I must have fallen into a fitful sleep.

I was awakened by Lobster kicking the side of my bed. "Hey…you. Get up! The Alpha Team needs backup!"

I was awake in an instant.

After I had changed into my uniform, I followed Lobster out to the balcony overlooking the ocean; the one I had arrived on. Soldiers were quickly climbing a short ladder into a helicopter that was hovering above the wooden boards. I was blasted by wind as I climbed up into the transportation and took a seat along one of the walls. There were no doors shielding the entrance.

As soon as the last soldier climbed in, we were off. The Bravo Team's leader stood and held up a small pack, shouting over the helicopter's noise.

"You will each receive eleven Fulton Recovery balloons! Use them to rescue any hostages you may find, but keep the eleventh for yourself! You may need it to make a quick escape!"

He tossed a few to the nearest soldiers, who caught them and passed them down. I inwardly groaned. I hated this thing.

"You will also receive a Codec! Fit it over your ear and test it now to make sure it's adequate!"

Whoo. A radio headset.

I fit the plastic earpiece over my ear and adjusted the volume control on a small box that resembled an old Walkman Radio. I was greeted with harsh feedback that made me cringe. As I glanced around the interior of the helicopter, I saw that most of the other men had the same reaction.

The Bravo leader smiled. "Now connect the microphone to your uniform's collar!"

I followed a small wire to a tiny microphone and fumbled with it and my collar. After a bit of trouble, it was hidden under a fold of my clothing and out of sight.

"Your Codecs will be on at all times! Each is set to a specific frequency to an individual in the Intelligence Corps back at Mother Base! They will guide you through the mission and relay information that other soldiers have picked up! They also give you someone to talk to, in case you poor bastards are too alone!" He grinned. "And now for the weapons!"

The radio's earpiece buzzed with static before a voice broke through. _"This is frequency one-four-one point one-two. Bobby, is this you_?"

I tuned out the Bravo leader. "Y…yeah…who is this?"

"_I'm Snake's close friend, Otacon_." The earpiece buzzed with static again. "_Sorry about the reception. I'm trying to boost the signal_…"

Static continued to buzz as I tried to focus on the Bravo leader. He was talking about a powerful tranquilizer-firing contraption called an EZ Gun. He began to hand them out.

"_All right. That should do it_," Otacon's voice became clearer. "_I have a map of the Big Shell pulled up on the computer in front of me. It's not a complete map, but it's what we have to go on_."

I received an EZ Gun and holster and clipped it onto my belt. "Yeah?" I said into the microphone.

"_If my suspicions are correct, Press is being held in Shell Two, lower level. He should be with the other hostages. It's the most heavily guarded. The other soldiers should be receiving this information shortly_." Otacon continued. "_But there's something they aren't being briefed on that you will_."

"What is it?" I put a hand over the earpiece to try to hear better over the roar of the helicopter blades.

"_We had a few reports from men before they were…killed_," Otacon hesitated slightly and took a deep breath. "_They reported an unusual character in the Big Shell…someone they have never encountered before. They guessed he was simply a new recruit_."

"Who?" I asked. The Bravo leader went on to explain something else.

"_They said it was a man, dressed differently than the others. He wore black…a black cloak. He had white hair and terrifying eyes_."

I was at a loss of words. Saint Dane had already been spotted…?

"_I assume you know how dangerous this man is, Bobby_." Otacon said. "_And don't worry. Snake told me everything he knows about the Travelers. I'm one of the good guys._"

"Did…did Saint Dane say anything?" I stuttered.

"_Nothing of importance. A survivor reported him smirking before pulling the trigger of an AK._"

A small handheld gun in a removable holster was passed to me. I clipped it on the other side of my belt, not focused on the weapon. "So he was bold enough to show himself…"

"_For all we know, Bobby…we're walking right into a trap_." Otacon said.

"I don't care. I have to save my uncle." I spotted a structure in the distance.

As if he had read my mind, Otacon sighed and said, "_You should be arriving at the Big Shell within a few minutes. Stick with the men and follow orders unless I instruct._"

"Got it." I said.

"_I'll leave you to your thoughts_," Otacon switched out, but I knew he could still hear me.

The helicopter hovered over a hexagonal-shaped building. One side of the hexagon was attached to another similar shape, both of them sharing a side.

We drifted over to the far side of the first shape and touched down on a landing pad occupied by two other helicopters. The soldiers filed out and I followed, hand on my EZ Gun. It had fifty shots exactly. No extra ammo.

"I will lead a squad over here!" The Bravo Leader called as the helicopter's blades stopped spinning. "Terry will lead another to Shell Two!"

"_You should follow Commander Terry_," Otacon said, startling me slightly. "_He's heading where you want to go._"

I joined the group of seven jogging toward the general direction of the second Shell. Commander Terry was a fairly plain-looking guy with short brown hair under an official looking hat. He had stern eyes and unsmiling lips, and the aura of loss and regret shrouded him. He wore badges and medals on his uniform. I began to wonder what he had done to earn those….what he had lost.

The wind was fierce on the landing pad. More than once I thought my Codec thing would blow off.

We reached a set of stairs and filed down, guns drawn. It was something out of an action movie. I noticed one of the men with us had a red cross on his back; the medic. I hoped we wouldn't have to use him.

We had entered into a small room with a cubical setup, like in an office. The fabric-covered walls separated us from the computers and workplaces, but there was plenty to investigate here. Tacked to the sides of the cubical were designs and blueprints for new weaponry. I saw something that I assumed was a rocket launcher on steroids.

"Look here," one of the soldiers whispered, detaching a paper from the wall. He passed it around to us while two other soldiers scouted around the room, searching for any potential threats.

The paper eventually reached me. It was another blueprint…this one to some sort of bipedal tank. I didn't have to read the blueprint name to know what it was.

"Metal Gear REX," I muttered.

"_What was that?_" Otacon asked. A screech of feedback accompanied his voice.

"I said Metal Gear REX." I repeated a bit louder, rubbing my ear. The other soldiers were starting to relaying information to the Mother Base. I overheard one mentioning an old sci-fi movie.

"_Where? Where is it? I can pull up data on it…do you have any C3?_"

"No…we found blueprints. Just sitting here," I hesitated slightly. "What do you mean, do I have C3?"

"_Never mind_," Otacon sighed. "_But these blueprints…they were out in the open? This is spelling out 'Trap' faster than I expected…_"

I passed the blueprints on. "We'll bring the design back to Mother Base. Maybe they're adding some new weapon onto these things."

"_I wouldn't doubt it. I'll be sending directions to Commander Terry from this point on. Contact me if you find anything else on these Metal Gear…or a stray hostage. Otacon out._" The Codec line went out.

The soldier to last see the blueprint tucked it away in his uniform. The other soldiers motioned for us to follow. We walked around the side of the cubical, where an abandoned computer sat on a desk lathered in papers. We walked out to the right onto a strut connecting our platform to another. Thin, short rails guarded the sides. It was a straight shot across, no cover anywhere.

"How do we know they don't have cameras set up?" One of the soldiers asked in a low voice.

"I don't see any Cyphers…"

"What if they've got snipers on the roof?"

Terry raised a hand to his ear, listening to whatever instructions were given. He nodded and announced, "Cyphers are patrolling this facility. Keep an eye out. If you see one, do not hesitate to use your M."

"_He means the other gun. It's called a M1911A1, but he prefers the shortened version; M_," Otacon said. "_Sorry I distracted you during the gun's debriefing._"

"It's ok," I responded.

So _that_ was what the other gun was called.

I put the EZ Gun into its holster and drew the M1911A1, feeling incredibly insecure with a gun that could actually do damage. One of the soldiers had to help me with the safety. It fit in my hand perfectly, which actually creeped me out a bit. I was told it had six shots; no more, no less. I couldn't afford to waste them.

We began walking quickly along the strut, keeping our eyes peeled for any Cyphers. (I couldn't remember, but I thought I remembered seeing one of these things in the _Metal Gear_ game I played. Weren't Cyphers those little floaty things with the cameras?) All was going smoothly, despite the feeling of being completely exposed to whatever firearms this place had. No snipers were spotted on the rooftops. Now that I think of it, I only spotted one soldier with us with a sniper rifle…I hoped he was good, and he wouldn't get hit.

Maybe I over-reacted for nothing. We made it across safely. The only trouble came from the door on the next platform. It required a keycard to pass, but the medic with us assured Terry he could bypass it. It didn't take him more than two minutes.

We were now in some sort of packaging and processing center. Terry signaled for us to duck almost as soon as we set foot into the room. I hit the ground along with the other men. Unlike the others, my gun clanged noisily on the tiles.

There was a grunt of confusion halfway across the room. I thought the humming of the machinery would drown my gun's clang out, but I guessed wrong. Terry had holstered his M1911A1 for his EZ. Most of the other soldiers were doing the same. I copied them, my hands shaking wildly.

A hooded man came into sight. He wore tan camouflage and a black ski mask over his face. A large assault rifle-looking thing was in his hands.

Terry didn't waste a second and shot the EZ, striking the man's shoulder. He stood, stunned, for a few seconds before staggering. He collapsed to the ground with a soft snore.

"This is enough to knock out an elephant." Terry mumbled, returning the EZ to his belt.

I gave a sigh of relief. The soldiers began to stand again and scout out the room, but the only guard was lying at Terry's feet, out for the count.

"_You have to cross one more strut before you can enter the platform that will lead to Shell Two." _Otacon said. "_Are you sure you're up for this, Bobby?_"

"Of course!" I sounded a bit offended. Perhaps I was.

Terry had found a keycard in one of the guard's pockets, saying, "Every minute spent picking the locks is a minute we could have used saving hostages. If you knock out a guard, check their right interior pocket. Their keycards are there."

The medic scoffed. "I'm the fastest lockpick and hacker Mother Base has ever seen. I don't need no keycard."

Despite my fear and excitement, I grinned.

We moved out of the packaging room as quickly as we could. The next strut was like the other; completely in the open. Terry ordered us to 'shut the hell up' and we did, standing stupidly on the edge of the strut, listening for something.

I didn't hear anything over the waves crashing into the Big Shell's sides and the seagulls that flew around, squawking. Terry nodded and muttered, "Move out."

"_Do you know what a Cypher sounds like, Bobby?_" Otacon asked.

"Um…no," I tried to think back to the game.

"_They have a very distinct sound. It was described once as, 'wings of metal'._"

"Do they have wings?" I didn't remember this at all.

"_No, they are propelled by specialized engines in their cores. If I could get my hands on one…I guarantee the Mother Base would get an upgrade in security._" He laughed nervously. "_But anyway…the sound. Along with the 'metal wings', there is a high-pitched, beeping sound. You can't miss it. It's the Cypher's only flaw. You can hear it from a long ways away. I think the sound has to do with the engine efficiency_ …"

We were in the middle of the strut when Terry stumbled and fell. I nearly ran over him as most of the soldiers continued on their way to the next platform. "Terry…?"

He was lying completely still. One of the soldiers ahead of us glanced back and grabbed the medic's attention before bolting to the next platform. The medic's face was lined with worry as he dropped next to me and the few soldiers that stayed with me. He didn't even examine him…he just reached into Terry's uniform pocket and retrieved the keycard before commanding, "To the next platform. Now!"

"_Bobby, what's going on?_" Otacon nearly shouted.

"I don't know! Commander Terry just…dropped dead!" I was feeling panicked as a million theories ran through my head. "Are there snipers?!"

That was when I heard it. I don't exactly know how to describe it, but I guess it was kind of a metallic swooshing sound. 'Metal wings' was the only thing that registered on my mind. Every three seconds, a high-pitched beep would sound and echo around the Big Shell's strut. I spun around to see something rise up from the platform top.

The bottom of the thing looked like a water buoy painted shiny gray. It was supporting a teepee of steel rods that were attached to what I assumed to be a camera of some sort, judging by the lenses that glimmered in the sun. A tiny red light blinked every time the beeping sounded. Hanging under the buoy was a long gun, aimed at us. The high-pitched beep became deeper until a siren was wailing.

"_Bobby, that is what we call a Sniper Cypher. Get to cover immediately._" Otacon commanded.

I didn't need telling twice. I bolted to the other men gathered at the next platform's door, waiting for the medic to arrive with the keycard. Something hit my shoe in the heel, but I didn't dare look to see what it was.

I heard and felt someone fell behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a red cross on the back of the medic as he lay facedown, unmoving. I hesitated, staring into the Cypher's camera. I had to retrieve the keycard if we were to keep moving.

With a bang, the sniper the machine was holding exploded, blasting part of the metal buoy off with it. The Cypher began to spin out of control before plummeting into the waves below. I ran back to the medic and retrieved the keycard clutched in his hand.

I hurried back to the other soldiers, nearly tripping over my feet. One of the men grabbed it from me and jammed it into the slot. "We need to get to cover! More Cyphers are en route!"

I faced the platform we had just come from, my eyes landing on the downed commander and medic. Movement caught my eye as three more Cyphers rounded the platform's top. All three were carrying different guns.

"Open, dammit! _Open_!" The soldier smashed his fist on the keycard's slot.

A few of the soldiers began firing at the Cyphers. They were still too far off, and only one was hit enough to damage the camera. It hovered uselessly, gun spinning in a circle. The sound of sirens and metal wings was deafening.

The door beeped and a light flashed green. The soldier grabbed the keycard and hurried into the next platform. I drew my EZ, hands shaking terribly. I thought I would go deaf from the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

We were greeted by guards, three of them. Most of the solders ducked and took cover as they began firing. I managed to escape behind a generator of some sort. A bullet clanged off the back of the metal. I was petrified. I couldn't move.

"_Bobby? Respond_!" Otacon's voice broke through the noise.

"G…gunfight!" I stuttered. "We're under attack!"

The shots intensified before silence fell suddenly, unexpectedly. I managed to glance around the side of the generator, shaking so hard my arms threatened to give out.

The three guards that attacked us lay unmoving. I couldn't tell if they were still alive. One of our soldiers was clutching at his arm while another ripped his sleeve into strips to use as bandages.

"I'm fine, really. It's a little cut…" the man grimaced.

"A little cut?! You've got a fuckin' _bullet_ in your arm!" The man ripping up his sleeve began to bind the wound. "Don't move...I got this…"

"One w-wounded…no one d-dead…" I stuttered into the microphone. "We're ok…"

"_That's always good to hear. No mortal injuries?_" Otacon sighed.

"No…only a bullet to the arm."

"_Good. You're almost there, Bobby. You're doing well._"

Once the man was bandaged, we continued on, extremely wary of our surroundings. As far as I could tell, the alarms had been switched off. Every now and then we'd pass a radio mounted in the wall that was flashing a yellow colour. I heard one of the men mutter, "Damn yellow alert."

We passed through a storage room containing mostly boxes and crates labeled with numbers and letters before we reached the next strut's door.

"This is the last time we have to do this." The makeshift medical man muttered. "We just have to get in, rescue the hostages, and get out to this strut. Our helicopter will be waitin' right here."

He approached the doors with his M1911A1 drawn and ready in one hand, the EZ Gun in the other. They opened, but no one was there to greet us, save for a Cypher lazily floating around near Shell 2's entrance. He took brief aim and shot with the pistol, catching its middle and sending it plummeting in a trail of smoke.

"Go, go, go!"

We ran. I was the last one to the other side, but we all made it in one piece. The soldier who was shot had to lean on one of the others from this point on. He had lost a lot of blood.

The doors opened and we ducked in. We could hear voices down the hall to our right. To our left was a storage area. Our new medical guy sneaked in there and came back with bandages and painkillers.

"Go on, we'll catch up," he hissed. "We don't have any time to spare."

I followed the remaining two soldiers around the corner. The hallway ended in a dead end, with a door cut into either side. Voices and laughter were coming from the right.

"It needs a higher level security key." The first soldier muttered.

"No doubt the guards in the other room have clearance." The second nodded.

The first soldier glanced at me. "Hey, kid…go wait with the other two. We can handle this."

"My uncle is a hostage," I growled. "I want to make sure he's ok. I'm going with you."

"What was Snake thinking…? Sending a kid on this highly dangerous mission…"

Now that he mentioned it, what the heck _was_ he thinking? He knew I wanted action…but not this much this quickly.

"Are you a good shot?" the first demanded.

I drew my EZ. "Yeah…"

"Then prove it. I'm going in there with you. You shoot, or be shot."

My knees felt weak. "What…?!"

"Let's go." He pushed the doors open and entered. His EZ emitted a soft _thwhip_ sound as it fired. I followed and shakily held my gun in front of me.

There were three guards chatting around a table. One, with his back to us, was slouching from the tiny dart stuck in his shoulder. The other two were fumbling for their weapons. I shot, nailing one in the chest. His movements ceased and he fell to the side, off his chair. The other soldier with me took out the other.

"Not bad." He said, striding into the room. He quickly searched the guards, finding a keycard in the second's pocket. "This should do the trick."

We were greeted by the new medical man. He was alone, and I later found out that the wounded soldier with us had been sent back using Fulton Recovery. We wasted no time in opening the door and heading in.

Instead of a door leading to a hallway, it was simply a small, deserted room. An elevator. We hustled in, and it began its decent down. The FOXHOUND soldiers checked their ammo and bounced nervously from foot to foot. I took a few deep breaths.

"_This is it, Bobby. When these doors open, you may be greeted by the enemy._" Otacon said.

"I'm ready," I responded, drawing both my M1911A1 and EZ. No time to back out now. I asked for this, anyway, I wanted some action, after all…

The elevator dinged.

The doors opened.

We were facing a balcony overlooking a large room. People were sitting along the walls on the floor below, blindfolded and bound to each other at the wrists. In the middle of the room were some Metal Gear REX. I had a perfect view to see them all. I assumed there were at least five.

I heard one of the soldiers mutter a prayer. The new medic swore. The third was the first to whisper out, "I have never seen so many before."

"Otacon, we might have a problem…" I gulped.

"_What is it_?"

"We found the hostages. But they're heavily guarded." I counted at least ten guards milling about with guns. "And they're in a room…filled with five Metal Gear REX."

He was silent for a few seconds.

"Otacon…?"

"_This is not good_…" was his only reply.

**XxXxXxXx**

**SECOND EARTH**

**XxXxXxXx**

"All right, you geek. Tell me where Bobby went."

"W-what?!"

"I can't get ahold of their house. Their phone line's disconnected. You know something I don't. Now, please tell me."

Courtney glanced down at her shoes. "I'm actually kind of worried…"

Mark blinked and adjusted his glasses. "Um…well…Bobby's not really in the hospital…"

"Why did you tell me that in the first place?!" Courtney growled. "You worried the hell out of me!"

"S…sorry…" Mark shied away slightly.

"You know what? Come with me…" Courtney walked off Mark's front porch. "I'm going to visit Bobby's house and get to the bottom of this. You're starting to really worry me, anyway."

"Y…yeah, I suppose that'd be a good idea…" Mark awkwardly followed. "D-do you know where he lives?"

"I've been invited to six of his birthday parties. I'm pretty sure I know where he lives." Courtney mounted her bike again. "So? You coming?"

Mark grabbed his own bike and followed her down the couple blocks. They reached the street and turned down it, Courtney falling behind to pace Mark.

"I swear, if all this crap is for nothing, I'm going to egg both his house and yours."

Mark kept pedaling, eyes fixed ahead. Something was wrong…

"Uh…Courtney…?"

Her eyes got wide and she began to pick up speed, heading toward the Pendragon house.

…Or, where it used to be.

"It's…gone?!" Courtney hopped off her bike and stepped onto the square patch of grass. "No! What the_ hell_?!"

Mark followed her onto the vegetation and took a deep breath. "Um…I can explain…"

"You've better!"

It was then that Mark felt the ring on his hand begin to heat up. He took a few steps away from the enraged girl in front of him and pulled the ring off. "W-watch this…"

He tossed it to the ground, where the music and lights began. Courtney gasped and shielded her eyes as the light grew even brighter and the music, louder. It was all over in seconds.

"What…was that…" she asked.

"I'm not exactly sure." Mark admitted, picking up the new journal. "B-but this is written by Bobby. I know you won't believe me, but maybe if you read it too…it'd make more sense."

Courtney made a grab for it, but Mark drew back.

"No…this is the second one! I have the first one at my house…come on, I'll let you read it. I…I think I can trust you. I think Bobby can trust you."

**XxXxXxXx**

** So…Bobby's getting his first taste of action. Being a Traveler, he's going to get a lot more, too. **

** Sorry about the cliffhanger. I forgot about it. (Haha, nope! I just want you all to be wondering what will happen until next week!)**

** Although…reviews tend to motivate me a bit more…Hint, hint. **

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**XxXxXxXx**

**Wow, this is really long. I'm surprised I managed to get this much done. I guess you could count this as almost two chapters, but I really wanted this to all go on at once. **

**And I'm sorry, but it looks like I'm gonna be taking a few weeks to a month before uploading again. I have a load of crap to work out in a short amount of time and it isn't much fun.**

**XxXxXxXx**

**FIRST EARTH**

**XxXxXxXx**

"_Your mission has changed,_" Otacon said. "_Free the hostages. But you must damage those Metal Gear. Just enough to keep them from being shipped out. Find the Alpha Team. They'll know what to do._"

"Ok…I gulped.

"_The helicopter should be arriving shortly for Fulton Recovery subjects._"

"All right…" I turned to the soldiers with me. "You guys ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," was the reply.

"Great…then let's go."

"Who put you in charge?" the new medic chuckled, but it was a nervous laugh. Despite his words, he followed me as I located the stairway. It was made of concrete, from the steps to a small wall that I assumed came up to my middle or so. It was perfect for firing over and ducking back down if the need arose. I holstered my M1911A1 and focused with the EZ. I followed the closest guard's walking pattern and aimed slightly ahead of where I intended to hit him; his shoulder. I fired with a _thwhip_.

Direct hit. I wanted to pump my fists in the air and cheer. The guard stumbled and fell, unfortunately falling across some hostages' legs. I took aim again and fired on another guard.

By this time, the other soldiers were doing the same at various points on the stairway. We were out in the open, but in the shadows. Our dark olive uniforms offered slight protection from enemy eyes, but not enough to conceal us forever. Our main goal was to remain hidden as long as possible. We hit three before the others realized their comrades were being struck down, three more before they realized where the hits were coming from.

"I didn't think this far ahead." I admitted nervously as bullets began clanging off the wall behind me.

"We have to go out there and take them out before the hostages are dragged into this," the medic said. "What's your name, kid?"

"Mouse," I cringed as dust rained down on us.

"I'm Gadget. The other two with us are Lead and Mask. No one told you who we were…?" he shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. I need you to stay behind here and pick off any guards that come through that elevator. We'll deal with the rest. Got it?"

"Got it." I clutched my EZ and aimed it at the door.

"No matter what you hear, don't come around the staircase. We want them to think there are only three of us." Gadget motioned to the other two soldiers. "Maybe you can get out of this alive. Maybe not. Either way, it ain't gonna be pretty." He drew both weapons and motioned for Lead and Mask to follow. "Let's kick some ass!"

They quickly filed off the staircase, leaving me to glance back between the elevator and the bottom of the stairs. My hands were shaking again. My breath was coming in short gasps. My brief moment of bravery was over and gone.

"_Bobby…Bobby listen to me…_" Otacon said. "_You need to relax. You won't help anyone if you get disposed of._"

"I'm in the middle of a damn gunfight!" I nearly shouted over the bullets' sound.

" '_Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.'_"

"What the hell does that mean?!" The elevator doors were opening again…!

"_It's a Chinese proverb. You think you should be tensed, but you need to calm down. Take a breath. I know this is hard, but if you don't relax, you're more of a danger to yourself…and your comrades._"

Two guards rushed out of the elevator. I gave a shout and fired twice, hitting the first but missing the second. I fired wildly, randomly, hitting the remaining one at least three times. He dropped like a stone. I sat, gasping wildly for air. I realized I hadn't breathed while I was shooting.

"_Take a deep breath, Bobby. Backup is on the way. I received word that Gadget is freeing some of the hostages. They're retrieving the guards' guns._"

"I d-don't think that proverb was relative to this situation…" I sputtered.

A faint laugh. "_Well, you know what I mean, anyway._"

The gunshots had died down. I kept my eyes on the elevator door, every few seconds glancing back behind me at the bottom of the stairs. No one else came, and a few seconds later, the last shot was fired.

I pulled myself over the top of the stairwell wall, ready to duck back down if it was a false alarm. I only saw Gadget, Mask and Lead, the three of them untying the hostages. I made a move to aid them.

"No! Stay there!" Gadget shouted. "More backup could come!"

I resumed my position, taking Otacon's advice and inhaling deeply.

A crackle of static broke through my earpiece. "Otacon?" I asked.

Another burst of fuzzy sound. I tapped the Codec clipped to my belt, but of course that didn't improve anything. It wavered in volume before becoming completely silent.

"Hello…?" I asked.

A laugh came over the little radio. I shivered. "Who is this?"

The laugh continued for a few more seconds. A voice spoke, cold and slow. "_Oh, that fight sounded marvelous…I so wished to be there_."

"Who are you?" I demanded. "What happened to Otacon?"

"_Otacon?_" Another laugh, as if I had told a joke. "_He's safe and sound back at that pitiful base…for now. No, I had this line tapped from the beginning. I've been listening to you. I can't believe you're the next Traveler of Second Earth._"

"Saint Dane?!" I growled.

The laugh escalated into manic fits. "_No…! I am not Saint Dane! But don't worry, you will meet me in time. You all will._"

Static blocked out another laugh. I sighed and slammed my palm onto the Codec, which surprisingly enough made it go quiet.

"_Bobby?! Bobby, are you all right? I lost complete contact with you! Respond!_ Respond!" Otacon shouted.

"I'm all right! I'm all right! You don't have to yell!" I rubbed my ear. "This line is tapped, Otacon. I just got contacted from…I think someone working with Saint Dane. He seemed to know what I was talking about."

"_One of the terrorists…_" Otacon sighed.

I nodded, but then realized he couldn't see me. "Yeah. I think so."

"_I'll try to trace it. Until then, do what you can for the hostages._"

I sat on my stairs, waiting for the elevator to open. It never did. I was distracted from my job by a voice at the foot of the stairs. "Well, you found me."

"Uncle Press!" I jumped down the stairs and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. Never before have I been so relieved to see someone. "You're alive!" I said stupidly.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" Press laughed. "You did a good job here."

"I didn't do anything." I sighed. "I was too scared…"

"Hey, it's your first time doing something like this." He pushed me away playfully. "When I first came here, to First Earth, I was petrified."

I found that hard to believe. I glanced around the room at the thirty twenty or so hostages. "Is this everyone?" I made out a few of them wearing Mother Base uniforms. The Alpha Team, I supposed.

"No…unfortunately. Two Secret Service guards were shot and killed….along with the president of the United States. A few Mother Base soldiers from the Alpha Team are not here…Snake included." Press said. "Bobby, you've done well, but now it's time to let us do the work."

"The president…!?" Gadget sighed. "Oh no…this is worse than I thought."

"I can help," I said. "We need to sabotage these Metal Gear!"

"Two of them are already out of commission." Press pointed to the farthest two. "Snake and I managed to take them out before we were caught."

"How many soldiers are still here?" Gadget asked. "In the Big Shell? Besides us, of course."

"Snake and two others." Press said. "They're also assumed to be the only ones without injuries of some sort."

I glanced around at the hostages, most of which were leaning against the wall or on each other.

"Then you'll need these," Gadget handed Press four Fulton Recovery balloons. "Get out safe and alive."

"Who do you think we are?" Press laughed. "We'll be fine. Take care of _Mouse_ for me." He cast me a grin.

"No," I insisted. "I'm going with you. Snake let me on this mission when I know he shouldn't have. I wasn't ready for anything. He knew this…and he still let me go. I'm going to find him and fire a few rounds of this EZ into his face."

Press laughed again, harder this time. "That's the spirit! Hey, Gadget…another balloon, please."

"Are you sure, Lone Wolf?" the soldier asked. "He's just a kid, after all."

"Then how will we train him to be a good trooper like yourself? He needs to be in on the action at some point." Press tucked the balloon pack away.

"I suppose you're right…take care." Gadget gave us a quick salute before turning and hustling the remaining hostages out of the room.

"_Bobby? What are you doing? Report back to Mother Base!_" Otacon commanded. "_You've done what you can!_"

"I can take care of myself. I know what to expect." I muttered into my microphone. "I'll be fine."

"Here, Bobby," Press handed me one of the enemy guards' weapons. "This is an AK. Use it to direct fire into the REX's eyes. Shoot them out on both sides…I don't think we have to worry about being stealthy at this point. They know we're here."

I nodded and tucked my EZ into its holster before taking the larger, heavier gun. I took brief aim at the Metal Gear in front of me and fired. The gun was pretty powerful, but I managed to keep it on target. The glass or whatever was shielding its 'eye' cracked after about ten shots and shattered in the next forty or so. I kept firing into its eye until I saw sparks fly. I only had a few shots left.

Press gave me a thumbs-up as he shot out another, leaving the last of the five. We both took it out in a matter of seconds. This one sparked on the inside and caught on something.

"Time to go!" Press grinned. He seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I followed him to a staircase leading the opposite direction of the elevator I had arrived in.

"To rescue Snake and the others, of course! I think they need a hand by now. Keep your gun at the ready…I don't have a tranquilizer."

I drew my EZ and handed it to him. "Here."

Press accepted it. "I'll do the firing from here on out…you only shoot if you're forced to. You hear me?"

I drew my M1911A1. "Loud and clear."

We ran down a few hallways and entered a few doors. We encountered a fair amount of soldiers, but Press almost always had them out cold before they realized something was even happening. One almost made it to his radio to call for backup, but that was our closest call. Then we arrived at a strut.

"We cross this, a platform, and another strut to get to where I believe Snake and the others are being held." Press said. "Keep an eye out for Cyphers. You're the only one who can dispose of these things." He pointed with the EZ Gun's muzzle to my handgun. "How much ammo do you have left?"

"Three out of five…no reloads." I said.

"I hope your aim is good." Press glanced out from the strut. Seeing that no one was there, he began to cross, motioning for me to follow.

We didn't get far before a dark clad figure jumped in front of us.

It was a dark-skinned woman with hair dyed blonde. She was wearing some sort of dark coloured suit that reminded me of a one-piece swimsuit with a cape connected to the neck (Seriously. She was wearing a cape that came down to about her middle) She wore black gloves and boots and was holding the scariest looking gun I had ever seen. It was at least three fourths the size of her and looked to weigh a ton. A bolt of electricity ran down the two tines set in the middle of the thing.

I gasped. I knew this woman from the picture Snake showed me back at Mother Base…

"You're…you're Fortune!" I stuttered.

"Well, well…you know who I am and I haven't met you before. My reputation must be spreading." Fortune slammed the gun on the strut, its end pointed at us. "Unfortunately, I was sent to annihilate you. No time for chat."

"Bobby, jump over the side of the strut, but keep a tight grip on the walkway." Press commanded. "We can't fight her. She's…invincible."

"What?" I hissed.

"_Bobby?! What's going on!? You mentioned Fortune!? Do_ not _engage her in battle!_" Otacon shrieked.

"Uncle Press, what…?!"

Unfortunately, I didn't get my answer. Fortune fired up the gun, sending a deadly bolt of electricity flying in our direction. Press grabbed my hand and pulled me over the side of the strut, down toward the water.

I think I screamed. I lost my grip on my M1911A1 and it fell into the waters of oblivion. Press still had a tight grip on my hand, his other latched firmly onto the strut's walkway. He hoisted me up with strength I didn't know he had and I grabbed onto the walkway beside him.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" I yelled.

"Just move!" He held the EZ gun in his teeth and used his hands to shuffle himself across the strut's walkway. I followed, fearing my grip would break anytime soon. Fortune stood over us, a grin on her face. "So…this is the end of the great Lone Wolf. I was glad to meet you, _Mouse_. Too bad I'm the _cat_."

She lifted her foot to slam it onto my fingers. I braced for the impact when a _thwhip_ sounded. I watched the tiny, shiny dart shoot at the woman about to kill me…and then _curve around her body and miss completely_.

"Fool. You know you cannot hope to hit me." Fortune turned her attention to Press, who was dangling by one hand, tranquilizer gun in the other. "You should know, of all people."

"Shut up." Press said. "I wasn't aiming for you, anyway."

"Then what?" Fortune was grinning.

Press motioned casually with the gun. "I was aiming for your weapon. And it looks I hit it on target."

The electricity was shooting uncontrollably out of the tines, targeting the strut, the railing…everything it could reach. I realized the current was pinning me in place, preventing me from letting go. Maybe that's why Press was hanging so easily by one hand.

Fortune laughed again. "And what do you hope to accomplish? You are trapped."

"Maybe…" Press tucked the EZ clumsily into a pocket and reached into a small pouch at his belt. "And maybe not."

He clutched the small ball-ish object and pulled the pin with his teeth before throwing it at the far end of the strut we had come from. Fortune's eyes widened, but she didn't have enough time to retrieve the grenade and throw it into the ocean. She managed to almost get within reaching distance.

"Hang on tight, Bobby! The current won't last forever!" Press put the EZ back in his teeth and held onto the walkway tightly.

There was an enormous explosion that nearly blasted me off the Big Shell completely. I remember screaming as the walkway collapsed on that side of the strut, sending us plunging at a sideways angle. Fortune's gun tumbled off the walkway, crashing into the ocean. Fortune herself was nowhere in sight.

Press said something around the gun that I assumed was, "Follow me, Bobby!" Before inching himself upward along the platform. He then swung his leg over the railing and pulled himself up using the rails, walking carefully along the unstable strut. I swallowed my fear and attempted to follow, only to find my palms were slick with sweat. I couldn't hold on.

"UNCLE PRESS!" I cried. "I'M GOING TO FALL!"

He shuffled back toward me and stuck out his foot. "Grab hold!"

I clung for dear life onto his boot as he hoisted me over the side. I clutched to the railing, shivering. Press tucked the EZ back into my holster. "You ok?"

"I need a minute…" I gasped.

"We don't _have_ a minute." He said sternly. "You wanted to come with me, right? Then you have to follow my orders. That's an order. My next order is for you to follow me."

He began inching up the dangerously tilted strut. I followed, holding on for dear life. I tried not to look down.

When we reached the other side, to stable, solid ground (If you can even call the Big Shell that) I collapsed, hugging my knees. I was thankful Press didn't tell me to get up and move my butt as he worked with the keycard entry thing.

After a few seconds, I had calmed down quite a bit and the door was open. Press retrieved the EZ from me and we headed inside. Voices came from a room up ahead.

"I'm going to ask you one more time…what did you hope to find?" A gruff, annoyed voice demanded.

"What do you _think_? A giant, floating complex in the middle of the ocean…nothing suspicious about that at all! You said it was a 'water treatment plant'…I laugh at that pitiful excuse of a cover-up!" The young, confident voice was choked off in a harsh wheeze.

"_Enough!_" the gruff voice roared. "Tell me what I want to know, or another of you dies!"

"We…._hhhaah_…looking for…._gah!_...Metal Gear…!" the voice gasped.

"This is our cue," Press said to me. He slammed his boot into the door, popping it open instantly.

We were facing some sort of sick bay. There were seven people in the room, three of which were tied together on the floor, gagged and blindfolded. They were wearing the FOXHOUND uniform. Three were standing around a small cot. One was a bald, skinny, ugly man with a uniform slightly resembling my own. The olive drab was almost the same shade, but he didn't have rows of pockets. He wore khakis and shiny, black shoes. His wrinkled face was smiling before we kicked the door down, but the expression was replaced with one of shock and…was that horror…?

The second man was wearing a similar uniform, except his was adorned with medals. He wore a general's cap and smart looking boots. But what really struck me about this guy was his face. Across the entire right side of his head…were deep, dark scars. It was as though he had engaged a chainsaw in a blind fight and lost. His eyes were piercing blue. I knew this man. _Vulgin_…

The last man was younger than the other two, and a bit shorter. He had short cut blonde hair hidden by some sort of maroon beret. He turned to face us, shock on his face. He was wearing a uniform like the others, adorned with some medals. I also knew him. _Revolver-Ocelot_…

The last occupant of the room was tied down to the cot. He was stripped to his undergarments and his chest bore still-bleeding cuts and incisions. He had very light hair that came down to his shoulders and a serious look on his face. He coughed to the side slightly, and I saw the bruises lining his neck.

"Well, well, well…look who's here." Vulgin sneered. A bolt of electricity shot from one knuckle to the other as he cracked them. "Lone Wolf…and what's this? A child?" He laughed.

"You know very well who this is." Press said firmly.

"Oh! Is this…the one The Boss warned us about?" Vulgin roared with laughter. "A mere child?! Is this some kind of joke?"

"I suggest you release the prisoners now." Press continued calmly.

"This doesn't concern you, Lone Wolf! Get out of here!" The man strapped to the cot rasped he broke out in another fit of coughs.

"You were not given permission to speak!" Ocelot hissed, drawing a pistol from his belt and slamming the butt of it into the man's ribs. He sputtered in pain and gave another hacking cough, this time bringing up a thin line of blood trickling from his lips.

"Perhaps he will give us more information than this maggot." The old, ugly man suggested. His voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I could tell I already despised him.

"Perhaps." Press said. He took brief aim with the EZ Gun and fired. The three of them didn't have time to react before the dart stuck into the light-haired man's shoulder, quickly and efficiently knocking him unconscious.

Ocelot swore and drew two pistols from holsters at his sides, twirling them in the air in an overly-fancy manner. "Why did you do that, hmm?"

"To keep him from giving you any more information." Press stated calmly.

"Ah. Smart." Ocelot grinned. He was still twirling the pistols…the revolvers. "Unfortunately, that cost you a hostage."

He gripped both guns and aimed them at the nearest hostage—a young man with reddish-blonde hair—and pulled both triggers. Twin bangs exploded from its barrel and struck the victim's head. Blood and brain tissue was forced out the man's nostrils from the impact, blood seeping through the blindfold covering his eyes. He slumped, dead. I gasped and nearly threw up. Never in my life did I want to see what I had just witnessed. The other two hostages sat frighteningly still. I recognized one…

"You're down to one. One died of fear already." Ocelot nudged a dark haired man, who didn't respond in the slightest. "And the last will be fun to torture. Won't you, Snake?"

Press remained unwavering. The EZ was now pointed at Ocelot's head. I tried not to stare at the dead man.

"So, Lone Wolf…now that you're here, you might as well stay." Vulgin grinned nastily. I wanted to throw up all over again.

My disgust must have been very apparent. The old, ugly man chuckled. "Look at him. What have we to fear? He can't take a simple death."

A simple death? _A simple death_?! That 'hostage', as they called him, had a name! A life! A role in the Mother Base! Maybe he sacrificed everything for someone! Maybe he lost people important to him! And they shoot him like _it's fucking nothing_! I had never felt so mad in my entire life. I wanted to beat his old, greasy head into the wall; to paint over the red staining the hostage's face with this guy's own.

"Oh look. You made him mad. Poor little kid." Ocelot purred. "What's wrong…? Is the little Mouse too scared?"

"Quite the opposite." I hissed. I glanced to the sides of the room for a weapon…anything. I could use anything!

"Mouse, please relax." Press said firmly. "I know it's tough. I know it's terrible. But if you break down now…"

My gaze settled on a pair of binoculars lying on a small cabinet. I grabbed them and eyed Ocelot, who broke out in laughter. "Oooh! What are you going to do, little Mouse? Stare me to death?"

"No." I tightened my grip on the tool I now had. "I'm going to_ beat the shit _out of you."

With that, I threw the binoculars as hard as I could. Ocelot brought up his revolvers, but the eyepiece hit its target. One gun was knocked out of his hand, the other knocked nearly out of his grip. I saw my chance and ducked, retrieving the other gun. When I stood again, my gun was aimed at his forehead; his at mine.

"Mouse…!" Press made a move, but a glance from Vulgin held him back.

"Beat the shit out of me, you say…?" Ocelot hissed.

"That is, if I don't shoot you first." I growled back.

"Oh? Let me tell you a secret," Ocelot purred. "Both of these guns only have one shot left. I don't know which barrel it is loaded into. It's a little…Russian Roulette, don't you think? We both must shoot before the other. Tell me, Mouse…are you good with guns?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm as good as I need to be."

Ocelot smiled. "Good. You don't back down. One…two…three…go."

I pulled the trigger, getting an empty click of the cylinder. I hastily pulled back the reload and tried again. Still nothing. My vision was going white with anxiety.

Press turned behind me and shot with the EZ, striking the old man. He collapsed, sending Vulgin into a frenzy. He stormed toward my uncle, electricity crackling around his hands…?

"PRESS!" I don't know what made me do it, but I ignored Ocelot and turned the revolver on the lumbering general. I pulled the trigger.

With a loud crack that made me jump, the bullet flew from the gun and imbedded itself into his shoulder. Vulgin howled and dropped to his knees, clutching at his wounded arm.

Ocelot was about to pull the trigger again when I ducked and kicked at his kneecaps. His gun went off in a similar crack to my own, striking the wall harmlessly. Press was by my side in an instant, unloading a few darts into his back.

"Free Snake. Let's get out of here." He said sternly before going back to facing Vulgin.

I dropped by the Mother Base leader and began working with the ropes, untying one and beginning to unravel it. Snake got an arm free and pulled his gag and blindfold off. "Get Raiden….the man on the cot! I can mange myself now!"

I left him and hurried to the bed, undoing the ropes that cut deeply into the man's—Raiden's—wrists and ankles. I managed to free him and drape one of his arms around the back of my neck in a fireman's carry. I dragged him off the bed and hobbled to the door, surprised that a guy so skinny could weigh so much. Snake grabbed a small knife lying on a table beside the cot and approached Vulgin, who was now struggling hand-to-hand with my uncle.

"Hey. Vulgin. I have another scar for your collection." With that, Snake dragged the blade across his head, slicing clean across his upper left cheek across his nose. Vulgin dropped his attention toward Press and howled, clutching at his face. Press scrambled up, retrieved Raiden from me and handing the EZ off to Snake, and shouted, "Go, Go, Go!"

We were out of there in an instant, running blindly. I was screaming into my microphone for helicopter support…anything.

"_A helicopter is en route to you. Use the Fulton Recovery to reach it_!" Otacon said over my frantic shouts.

"Oh, not again…" I groaned.

We rounded a corner to come face to face with a guard. Stunned, he didn't react right away. Snake gained the upper hand and shot him in the chest with the tranquilizer gun, dropping him like a stone.

Then we reached the closest strut. Press put Raiden down and connected him to a Fulton Recovery balloon faster than I could have muttered another complaint against said method of travel. He was off in an instant, leaving us three.

"Go!" Press threw Snake and me one. "Hurry! Cyphers!"

I glanced over his head to see three or so hovering toward us. Their guns swiveled around, ready to fire…

I hurriedly strapped the harness on and shot into the air just as the bullets began striking the strut. Instead of a terrified scream, I was laughing. I had done it. I had survived what I assumed to be the impossible.

The helicopter picked us up a few moments later. I was so relieved, I gave the three people waiting to greet us a hug. Hey, if you were scared for your life, and you saw a few friendly faces from the organization you're from, you'd do it too. We received some water and food, but I couldn't stomach anything at the moment. The murdered man's face was still in my mind.

Raiden was being treated for multiple cuts, bruises and broken bones as I sat, staring at my untouched food.

"Why did you do it?" I finally asked Snake as he wolfed down his rations.

"Why what?" he muttered.

"Why did you let me go on a mission like that?! I'm…just a…kid!" I stuttered madly.

"Well, you asked for it." He shrugged and continued shoveling food into his face. "You gonna eat that?"

I handed him my provisions, which were a PBnJ and a canteen of water. "And you let me? Just because I asked? Are you _insane_? Sometimes people ask for things when they don't really mean it!"

"Then how would you get a taste about being one of us?" Snake asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How would you know what it's like to be a Traveler?"

"By…by experience…" I said.

"And exactly how will you earn that? By going out into the field. Learning exactly what we're up against. What exactly we need to do to save the Territories." He took another monster bite and chewed a bit. "You'll never learn that sitting on your ass back at the base."

I sighed heavily.

"I was surprised you wanted to come and rescue me, too." Snake continued. "I would have expected you to leave with the other hostages. You've got guts, kid. Guts and promise. No wonder Paz liked you. She can see it in you. I think your uncle can too."

I stared at my shoes for a long while. I was fairly certain that nothing else could surprise me. But Snake still managed to, just as we were landing back at the base, in the most casual voice, like he was talking about the weather.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, but Raiden's the Acolyte of First Earth."

** XxXxXxXx **

I didn't know what to expect when we got back to the base. A party, a celebration…? A celebration that most of us made it back alive? No.

What we got instead was chilling. We unloaded ourselves from the helicopter, Raiden supported by Snake, and walked toward the entrance. We were greeted by a row of soldiers on either side of the hall, saluting as we walked down the middle. No one said a word. It was the most eerie thing I had ever witnessed.

As it turned out, the president, some Secret Service men, and five of our soldiers had been KIA. Killed in Action. Metal Gear were being developed in the Big Shell. The president was trying to negotiate with the terrorists; to keep them from selling Metal Gear to opposing countries. The plan backfired.

I showered and changed into some fresh clothes before Para-Medic pulled me into the sick bay to make sure I was not harmed in any way. After I escaped her, I wandered into the mess hall, where sure enough, Paz was sitting, staring at the table.

I walked over to her and she leapt up, wrapping her arms around me.

"The hostages…they were telling terrible stories. They said a young boy was brave enough to continue with the mission…but he had no chance of survival."

I was still stunned by the sudden affection. I awkwardly hugged her back. "I wouldn't go down that easily."

"I knew you wouldn't," she whispered. "I'm so glad you're back."

** XxXxXxXx**

** Yeah. Raiden's the Acolyte. Not the ninja cyborg Raiden, the wimpy one from Sons of Liberty. I actually liked him before he was cool. I am a hipster. *Puts on shades* **

** Anyway, this is going to be the last chapter for a while, so enjoy this and whatever. Eat some cookies for me.**

** And remember to review.**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers.**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	6. Chapter 6

** CHAPTER 6**

** XxXxXxXx**

** I got nothing as of update updates go.**

** But I do have a sort of important announcement, I guess. I recently got a Tumblr account…God help me… so if you want to follow me on there it's lordoftheghostking28 and my blog is It's Super Fantabulous! **

** So yeah, if you're not into that stuff, disregard everything, I guess.**

** Onward to the chapter!**

** XxXxXxXx**

** SECOND EARTH**

** XxXxXxXx**

Courtney sat in a beanbag chair in Mark's room, intensely reading Bobby's journals. She was on the second, insisting she read it first. Mark was desperately trying to clean his room by stashing everything under the bed.

"Don't bother. This place needs to be cleaned with fire." Courtney muttered.

Mark sighed. "I know…"

Courtney tossed the second journal to him and announced, "I've read it all. I don't understand anything…but I read it. It's…terrible."

"I don't understand either," Mark confessed, "but there's got to be an explanation somewhere. Maybe Bobby will get it later."

"I'm concerned about our Earth…what's it called again?"

"Second Earth," Mark sat on the edge of his bed and began to read.

"Yeah. Second Earth," Courtney inhaled sharply. "What if they come here next? Then what?"

"Then…we join the fight." Mark said confidently.

"How? We're not Travelers."

"We'll…find a way."

"Oh, yeah, sure. We'll just attack Saint Dane with baseball bats and crowbars." Courtney said sarcastically. "Think about it, Mark. You're an Acolyte. Your job is to collect journals, not fight."

"What about Raiden?" Mark insisted.

"He's a soldier! He's trained to fight! We're trained to do mathematical equations and pointless chemistry!"

"Chemistry is not p-pointless…" Mark stuttered.

"It is during a _war_!"

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Mark read over the journal and Courtney tried to come up with a game plan. It felt to her like she was preparing for a zombie apocalypse.

** XxXxXxXx**

** FIRST EARTH**

** XxXxXxXx**

I couldn't sleep for the next week to two. I would always dream of Ocelot pulling the triggers of his revolvers, the bullets punching through the hostage's head. I would nightmare that I was in Raiden's place, being tortured for what I know about the Flume and being a Traveler. I never had enough information for them. I always died by the end of my dream.

Para-Medic gave me everything she could as a sleep aid, but nothing worked. She said I was experiencing some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder, and I didn't disagree. No one my age should have to go through what I did. …I take that back. _No one_ should go through what I did. What we all did.

We sent out another Alpha Team to exterminate the rest of the Metal Gear in the Big Shell, and they all came back without a scratch. They reported no one aboard the Big Shell…it was completely deserted. Cleared of all Metal Gear or personnel.

That was a minor victory to us. We celebrated that night, but I was not part of it. Instead, I sat in the hallway outside of the mess hall, using the faint light that filtered from the windows to write this journal. Paz sat with me and taught me a few words of Spanish when I came upon a writer's block. Now that I think about it, that's the first date I ever had. Whoop, go me.

At least a month went by. I was rotated from mess hall duty to the combat unit, where I was taught how to use a knife and a gun even smaller than the M1911A1 to take down an opponent bigger than myself. I figured that would come in handy if I ever fought Vulgin face to face. I became stronger in body and mind. I began sleeping better.

And then Snake requested a meeting in his quarters with Uncle Press and me. I already knew this wouldn't be good, but I walked down the hallway to his quarters, Press right behind me.

Snake was sitting behind his desk, accompanied by a man who looked about thirty. He was standing beside Snake's chair, looking over a long, slightly ripped paper. He had brown, flyaway hair and glasses. He was wearing a white lab coat over a green shirt and black pants. He glanced up as we walked in. "Bobby and Press, I assume?"

I knew that voice…

"…Otacon?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's me. It's good to finally meet you in person." He put the paper down. "So you are the two Travelers of Second Earth."

"Yeah…I guess." I muttered.

Snake cleared his throat. "Let's get to business," he muttered. "Bobby…Press… We have made a terrible discovery at the Big Shell. It was indeed all a cover-up, but not for what we expected."

He held up the paper Otacon has been holding. "This is one blueprint we found. The rest are being analyzed by the R&D team. We are up against the most advanced Metal Gear I've ever seen."

I glanced at uncle Press, shocked to see his eyes widen. I blinked, and the moment of fear he had was gone. He retrieved the paper and glanced over it before handing it to me.

In the upper left corner was the name of the Metal Gear…Shagohad. Snake had mentioned this before. It was a slightly boxy looking thing with missiles and weapons plastered all over it. Its armor was, at the weakest spots, a foot thick. This thing could start and finish a war by itself.

"I have never seen a Shagohad this modified," Snake said. "It has been fitted with nuclear weapons…more than enough to wipe out half of North America."

"Where did you get this?" Press asked.

"The last Alpha Team we sent into the Big Shell to erase any and all Metal Gear left behind…they found it in a box half-buried in the remains of a desk."

"Saint Dane…?" I suggested, handing the blueprints back to Press.

"That's what we originally assumed. It sounds like what he would do…plant just enough information for us to catch on," Snake hissed. "But look at the bottom right corner. I think he wanted us to see this."

Press read the words and sighed. "Huey Emmerich and Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov."

"They have been forced to design this…I'm sure of it," Otacon growled. "Saint Dane didn't just want to inform us; he wanted to anger us."

"Most likely." Snake agreed. "But that's not all." He opened a drawer and pulled out a folded paper, handing it to Press. "This is the most frightening of all."

Press carefully unfolded the paper, which turned out to be more blueprints. He scanned the layout of….whatever was on the paper…and handed it to me.

It looked like a giant spider (That was my first thought, anyway). efffA giant spider with a really big, round head. Lines pointed to it from all sides of the paper, giving descriptions of the weapons to be installed on it. The name really struck me, though. I thought this thing was going to be called MegaDeath2000 or something.

"Peacewalker?" I said.

"If you thought the Shagohad was bad…this thing has enough nuclear power to start a war to destroy all of humanity." Otacon said. "It is nearly unstoppable…its armor can withstand a nuclear blast."

"That's…unfair." I handed the blueprints back.

"To make matters worse, it too is being designed by Emmerich and Sokolov." Snake took it. "And as you already know, Huey is Otacon's father."

Otacon stared at the ground. "He's…really the only family I have left."

"We have been alerted to Emmerich and Sokolov's location." Snake said. "Groznyj Grad Lab. It's in Russia…a long way from here. Are you up for the trip?" He pronounced Groznyj like 'Groz-nee'.

That last question took me by surprise. "Already? Another mission?"

"A Traveler gets no real rest, _Mouse_," Snake said. "We must be ready for anything. Be thankful I gave you a warning before we picked you up by helicopter at dawn."

"Wait…we're going tomorrow morning?" I blinked.

"We cannot afford to waste time. If the blueprints were in a box for us to find, that means they either made copies, or are nearly completed with their preparations." Otacon said. "And when the modified Shagohad and the Peacewalker are complete…who knows what they'll do with my father and Sokolov."

"I suggest you get as much sleep as you can," Snake said. "I don't know what awaits us in Russia, but I can guarantee it won't be anything welcoming."

**XxXxXxXx**

Get as much sleep as you can?

_Naaaah_….

I actually would have preferred if he hadn't told me we were taking a trip halfway across the world. Then maybe I would have slept better. I tossed and turned all night, still in my uniform, waiting for the first rays of sunlight.

Uncle Press dragged me out of bed just as the rain began pouring down. We collected everything we could need and jumped into the helicopter waiting on the landing pad outside. Snake and Otacon were already waiting for us, Otacon at the helicopter's…wheel, if you could even call it that.

"It'll be a two day journey." Snake said. "Buckle up and prepare to live in the skies."

At least this helicopter had doors. And really longish seat/beds. I could do this. This was great!

Who was I kidding. I was scared _shitless_. I didn't want a repeat of the Big Shell. And where did everyone go from that place, anyway…?

I had a lot of time to write, so I caught up with my journal. I hope this was easy to follow…I was pretty scatterbrained.

Oh, that reminds me…I never got a chance to tell Paz goodbye. I hoped that wouldn't be what she remembered me by. The kid who didn't say goodbye then got himself killed on a suicide mission in Russia. That has a terrible ring to it, doesn't it?

Anyway, apart from depressing thoughts, I had a lot of time to drill Press about being a Traveler. I figured I might as well get information for you, Mark, and your role in this whole Halla thing.

"An Acolyte?" Press asked.

I nodded. "What's their roll? Just collecting journals?"

"Oh no…they have a much bigger mission." Press said. "They are the ones who put clothes at the entrances of the Flumes…so Travelers from other Territories can blend in more easily. Well, most of them, anyway," he chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," he gave me a grin. "You'd better tell Mark to get his backside down to the Flume and stock it up with clothes. And none of that stand-out, bright neon stuff, either."

Sorry, Mark. You've got a mission. I don't know how you can achieve it…Sorry.

This was by far the most boring helicopter ever. And to make matters worse, there was no bathroom and Snake refused to put the 'copter down. For two whole days and one night. I hated peeing in bottles.

But besides that, our ride was fairly smooth…only a heavy downpour of rain the first day. Otacon said Russia was going to be fairly cool, which I was looking forward to. I didn't want to go around in the blasting heat trying to remain undetected.

By the time the helicopter touched down in a clearing in the woods, I was dying of claustrophobia. I needed to get out of that tiny little metal flying contraption. I nearly kissed the ground…I was so glad to be back on land.

"I'll stay here and relay information to you from Mother Base." Otacon said. "Use the Codecs. Call me if you have any trouble, I'll see what I can do."

Snake hefted a small pack onto his back and motioned for us to do the same and follow. I retrieved my pack and waited for Press before we began going north from our landing place.

"It's a half-day hike to Groznyj Grad." Snake said. "In your packs, you'll find a modified EZ Gun with one hundred shots exactly, a M1911A1 with fifty, and a survival knife. I would use them to your advantage to catch and eat."

"It's just like a camping trip, Bobby." Press said.

I shrugged. "This is one thing I can do without trouble."

The plan was simple: we sneak in, find out where Sokolov and Emmerich were being held and rescue them, escape with them and make it to the first clearing we find and wait for Otacon to bring the helicopter around to pick us up. Piece of cake.

I doubted anything would go right.

We hiked for what seemed like miles in the dense forest. All around me were the rustle of leaves, the singing of birds, and a few startled mice every now and then. The greenery was fairly pleasant; I never saw the same shade of green twice. Snake showed me how to catch a mouse and cook it over a smokeless fire of dried animal droppings in less than an hour. I would say it was actually going fairly well. And I learned I liked grilled mouse.

It was when the sun began to set that we ran into trouble.

"The lab is up there," Snake said, jerking a thumb ahead of him. "Be on guard."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"That pile of leaves just moved." Snake drew his EZ and fired. The leaf pile emitted a groan and didn't move again. "Damn snipers." He traded in the EZ for the M1911A1.

He kicked the pile as we walked past, exposing the muzzle of the long sniper rifle. I reached for it, but Press held me back.

"Do you really think you'll need a gun as long as your leg with us when we try to sneak in? It'll do more harm than good."

He was right. I left the unconscious sniper alone as we crept though the woods. Our clothing was darker, and as night fell, it gave us more protection against prying eyes. We didn't see any more guards as a structure loomed in the distance in a depression in the earth, dimly lit by spotlights.

"That's Groznyj Grad?" I asked. "It's huge!"

The entire place looked to be split into four…a northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast. Spotlights searched the area, landing on tanks and sheds. Two giant structures sat in the middle, connected by a covered walkway. I could see guards milling about like ants.

"This is going to be tougher than I thought," Press muttered.

Uh oh.

"Let's move out." Snake began walking again. I quickly hurried to catch up. "Bobby, when we get in there, I want you to follow every order I give you. If I say run, do it. If I say fire, do it. Don't hesitate." He said.

"All right…" I said.

"If we come upon a woman…called The Boss…" he hesitated slightly. "I want you to kill her if I am incapable."

"What? Why?" I asked. "I thought she was your mentor…"

Snake whirled around to face me, the barrel of the M1911A1 glinting in the fading light. "She defected. She was the Traveler. She is now the enemy. She cannot be allowed to go to other Territories and destroy them. Am I clear?"

I stumbled back. "Yes….yes sir…"

Snake turned and continued walking. I fell back to Press' side. "Uncle Press?"

"Yeah?" He asked in hushed tones.

"Who is The Boss?"

"I do suppose you have a right to know," he sighed. "She was Snake's mentor before she defected to the terrorists' side. Snake said she left him for dead, but I think she purposefully let him live. I've seen her fight before. If she means to kill you…she would without batting an eyelash. She wounded him terribly before throwing him over a bridge, into a rushing river below. He managed to grab her headband…that's why he wears that."

"Why over a bridge?" I asked.

"He was on a mission to rescue Sokolov before the terrorists found him. He was too late. The Boss disposed of him and then abducted Sokolov, taking him here, to Groznyj Grad."

"Oh," was all I said. We continued on in silence, drawing closer and closer to our destination.

"_Bobby, The Boss was a bit more than a mentor to Snake,_" Otacon said over my earpiece. "_She was the only one he could turn to…he could trust. We all trusted her._"

I sighed and focused on the lights in the distance that were becoming clearer. I could begin counting the tanks if I concentrated.

"_That's why you need to dispose of her. She knows more than Snake does about being a Traveler…about all of us. We need to stop her from passing on those secrets_."

"We enter from the sewers." Snake pointed to a small lake east from the Groznyj Grad gates. A pipe jutted from the side of a manmade drop-off, a tiny stream of water falling from it. "Let's move."

"Oh boy…" I muttered.

Otacon didn't say anything else to me as we made our way to the lake. The pipe was large enough for me to stand up in, but it was covered in a rusting gate. Snake drew his survival knife from his pack and began sawing at the bars. After a few minutes, they began to come free and we had our entrance. We entered the sewer pipe, unsure of what we'd run into or even if we'd make it out alive.

**XxXxXxXx**

**I actually don't have any other news stuff or anything, even after all that, so I'll cut right to the chase:**

**Remember to review!**

**And follow me on Tumblr!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

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**And this is the chapter where everything bad happens. It's my favourite. **

**Really, this is the chapter most of the rated M stuff comes from…well, here on out is pretty intense. So buckle up and REVIEW.**

**XxXxXxXx**

**FIRST EARTH**

**XxXxXxXx**

I learned a new thing while we were in that damp, nasty smelling sewage pipe.

Snake liked to smoke. And he had to light his cigars with something, right?

At least we had a light to guide us through the miserable darkness, even if he had to strike a new match every thirty seconds. We carefully made our way through the pipe.

Surprisingly, not much water, or whatever was trickling into the lake, was flowing past us. I expected my shoes and socks to be soaked with…I'd rather not think about it. Instead, there was only a tiny stream just enough to coat the bottom of my shoes.

After a while, we began to hear voices above us. We passed a few grates, shedding a bit of light into the hell we were currently crawling through. We were walking at a crawling speed for what I assumed to be an hour or so before Snake pointed to a prick of light ahead of us. "We'll enter Groznyj Grad through there."

"Joy," I whispered.

Press took a deep breath and tried not to choke on the air. "Great," he gasped out.

We approached it just as the millionth match flickered out. No sound came from above, which I assumed was a good thing. Snake snuffed the cigar out and went to work removing the grate above us. Once it was free, he pushed it aside and hauled himself up.

I held my breath as he glanced around. I could see some stars, so we were still outside…and by a gate, if I saw correctly.

"All clear. Come on." He reached down and pulled me up, Press following.

We were in the farthest corner of the place, in some sort of storage area. Metal crates were stacked around us, shielding us from view from any prying eyes. Snake had both his M1911A1 and EZ out and ready as he peered around one of the boxes.

"My guess is that Huey and Sokolov are inside the main building, near the center, where there is maximum protection from the outside." He said. "We need to get in, undetected, at all costs. If they sound the alarm…we're done for."

I nodded. "I hear you."

"If you engage any of the terrorists I have told you about, do not hesitate to fire." Snake continued. "They must be stopped at all costs. They are the masterminds behind this plot."

I nodded again.

"Let's go," Press said.

We began making our way around the crates, watching for any soldiers that may be watching for intruders. None were around our area, but the spotlights could pose a problem. It was rather dark in the lab's exterior, but the spotlights would pick us out in an instant if we made the wrong move.

We carefully skirted around one and headed for a large main gate.

"But…the lab is over there." I pointed to the building opposite us.

"The entrance is not in this quadrant," Snake said. "We are in the southwest. The entrances are in the northwest and northeast. We are currently entering into the northwest."

"Ah," I said.

Snake pushed the door open and we ducked in. Press covered me as I shut the door as silently as I could. Snake scanned the new area and nodded. "Just as I suspected. They didn't realize the enemy could sneak in so easily. We have the element of surprise."

"Look at these tanks…" I pointed. "Are these Metal Gear?"

"Failed models, maybe. Or possibly they're used as the design," Press suggested. "Hollow out the inside and replace it with weapons of mass destruction. Boom, Metal Gear."

"That's pretty scary to think about…" I shuddered. "Shouldn't we sabotage them?"

"We don't have time." Snake hissed gruffly. "Our objective was to rescue Sokolov and Emmerich. Nothing else."

We ran into our first problem at the door of the Groznyj Grad lab. Two guards were sitting on the steps leading up to our objective, partly protected by the steel railing shielding them from a clear shot. Another guard was manning a spotlight in a small tower nearby. All three of them looked bored, but I knew they would snap to attention at a second's notice.

"Aim for the one closest to us," Press said. "I'll get the one next to him. Snake will take out the spotlight guy."

I nodded and raised my EZ, trying to target the guy. The only part of him I assumed I could hit was his arm below the elbow. A railing blocked his chest and shoulder. I fired.

My aim was off and the dart hit the railing with a loud CLING sound. Both guards jumped and stood, weapons at the ready. Snake shot, nailing the guy in the watchtower. He tumbled and fell, landing on the ground with a faint crunch. The two guards ran to him. I shot again, Press doing the same.

We both nailed the first guard and he fell. Snake joined us as we shot again, downing the third guy. My heart was pounding. I thought for sure our rescue attempt was over before it even started.

"Could have been worse," Snake seemed to read my mind. "Let's go. Quickly."

We ran up the walkway and entered the lab.

The inside, unlike the outside, was fairly decent. The dark-blue tiles were waxed and shiny, reflecting my terrified look back at me. A few chairs were set up in the far right corner, and the entire room looked as though it looped around a flight of stairs. Snake motioned for us to follow him as he followed the circle around the walkway. We were greeted by a few doors, but they proved to only be storage rooms, not of our interest. We looped back around to the entrance we came from and headed instead to the stairs.

"Be silent," Snake warned, his EZ aimed in front of him. We slowly and stealthily climbed the stairs, Press watching our backs. I was in the middle, weapon sort of aimed to the side. The last thing I wanted to do was hit Snake.

A man in a lab coat turned the corner of the stairs and started walking down toward us. He stopped and stared at us, mouth open in a silent shout. Snake downed him before he could utter a word and caught him before he would have fallen.

"That was close…" I whispered.

"That man's a scientist." Press muttered. "I suspect Sokolov and Emmerich weren't the only hostages."

We ducked into a storage room at the top of the stairs for a few minutes. Otacon finally contacted us, relaying information from Mother Base.

"_We've…got a lead._" He said slowly. "_An anonymous lead on rescuing Sokolov and Emmerich._"

"I thought you never followed those information trails…" Snake hissed. "Why start now? Don't you always double and triple check your sources?"

"_I…well…You need a keycard,_" Otacon said. "_And there's only one of these keycards around._"

"Who has it?" Press asked.

"_General Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov,_"

"I have no idea who that is."

"_He's the only man in the entire country that is decked out in more medals than Vulgin_." Otacon said. "_He's the general, after all. You need his pass, and his alone. Then you take it to the second floor and find a door secured only to him and use it there. Sokolov and Emmerich are in there._"

"That's great and all, Otacon, but who sent you this information?" Snake demanded.

The line was silent for a few seconds before Otacon heaved a heavy sigh. "_I can't say for fear the line is still tapped. Please, Snake…trust me._"

Snake pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded, saying, "Fine. Now…where can I find this…Raikov?"

"_In the main building. He usually patrols the labs. Get him away from there and take his cardkey. I think it would save you a lot of hassle if you just knock him out for a while…you all still have ammo in your EZs?_"

"Yeah," I said.

"_Oh, good…Bobby's still alive._" Otacon chuckled. "_I haven't heard a word out of you so far._"

"I didn't know what to say," I sighed.

Otacon chuckled. "_Sorry for distracting you all…I'll let you get back to work._"

Snake cracked the door open and peered out before motioning to us to follow. We ran across a tiny balcony to a door, which Snake opened. We ducked into the side of a lab. I could hear people milling about, talking and working. Snake motioned for us to stay where we were and crawled around a few tables and workplaces before I heart the first _thwhip_ of the EZ. Many more followed, and I didn't dare move until Snake said, "Ok. We can keep moving."

I tried to ignore the passed out scientists as we walked by. We passed through another door and entered into a kind of recreational room. Lockers lined one wall, a ping-pong table along another. A few potted plants grew along the others.

"I suppose we can wait here." Press said. "There's ample cover from oncoming guards, and we can be comfortable as we do so."

Snake grunted a reply and sank next to one of the rows of lockers. "Fine with me."

I had barely taken a seat on the ground when a door opened. I froze in mid-sitting position as Press leapt silently to his feet and rounded the corner, nailing the newcomer with a dart. He chuckled as whoever it was hit the ground and said, "Well, we've earned ourselves a bit of luck."

I walked over to him and sighed with relief. At least we wouldn't have to do any general hunting. A man that could have only been Raikov was lying, sprawled in the middle of the room, unconscious. He had straight blonde, almost white hair and a fair complexion. His green uniform was adorned with medals and awards that clinked when Snake nudged him with a foot. "Let's get the keycard and go."

Press retrieved the card from Raikov's left breast pocket and held it up. Snake retrieved it and pointed to a different door set in the back of the room. "That must be it."

He inserted the card and the door popped open, leading to a bright white tunnel with a flight of stairs at the end. We entered quickly and shut it.

"Be prepared." Snake warned.

"I plan on it." I grinned nervously.

Press nudged my arm as we walked and I cast him the same nervous smile I gave Snake. I was terrified…almost as scared as I was on the Big Shell. I didn't know what would come next.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and faced a set of double doors with a pane of glass stretched in the middle of them. Though it, I could see two figures. One was a balding, older man with a monocle. He was tall and skinny and wore a very formal looking black suit. He was pacing back and fourth across the room, looking rushed and angry.

The other man was sitting, so I could only see the back of his head. He had slightly curly brown hair that was graying around his ears.

Snake pushed the doors open. "Sorry we didn't come sooner. I hope you're ready to make a break for it."

The skinny older man jumped, stuttering, "S…Snake?"

"Who else, Sokolov?" Snake nodded.

The other man turned to face us. I saw he was working on some kind of report, but he had only succeeded in writing down the first few sentences. He was wearing wire-rimmed glasses and an old pair of navy-blue pants and a button down green shirt. He looked almost identical to Otacon (Well, Otacon in his later years)…It was clear he was his father.

"I thought you'd never come back." The man…Huey Emmerich…said at last.

"Why wouldn't we?" Press grinned. "Now come on and let's get out of this terrible place. Otacon's waiting in the helicopter for us. We'd better get going, unless you plan on finishing that paper, Mr. Emmerich,"

Huey stood and threw the pencil he had in his hand across the room. "Let's go," he growled. "And please…just call me Huey."

"Oh…my wife and children…I hope to see them soon…" Sokolov sighed. "It surely has been a long time."

Snake nodded. "We'll use the time in the helicopter to catch up on what's happened. Right now we need to make a break for it."

I turned to head back to the door. Instead, I was greeted by a scarred face in the windows leering down at me. A shotgun was leveled with my head. I managed a shout of warning before I threw myself to the side, feeling the bullet shatter the glass and narrowly miss my ear. The glass rained down on me, digging into my hands and knees, as I tried to stand again.

"BOBBY! GET DOWN!" Press shouted. He drew his M1911A1 and shot. I pushed myself into the corner as the doors flew open, smacking my knee with a hard thunk. Shots were fired. I heard a shout. I fumbled with my own handgun, but it slipped from my grasp. The door was kicked shut, allowing me to finally see the action going on.

Snake and Press were aiming their guns at Vulgin's head. The other general had Huey in a chokehold, squeezing the air out of his throat. Two others were accompanying Vulgin. Ocelot had both his revolvers aimed on Snake's head and a woman had what appeared to be some sort of submachine gun trained on Press. She had light blonde hair and a stern look. She was wearing some sort of khaki hunting gear and had a knife strapped to her belt. She cast me a look out of the corner of her eye and motioned at me with her head. Ocelot nodded and trained his second revolver on me.

"Well…look who we have here…" Vulgin chuckled. Huey pried at his muscled arm, trying to gasp in a breath. "I'm sure that whoever leaked information to you forgot to mention there was one other cardkey."

"Let him go, Vulgin!" Snake growled. "Or I will put another scar on your face!"

"I'm sure you will." The general sneered. "Ocelot, Boss, disarm them."

Ocelot raised his pistol to Snake's hand and shot, blasting his weapon from his grip. The Boss brought a foot up into Press's stomach, causing him to double over and release his grip on his own gun. She quickly retrieved it and turned to me.

I managed to get my hand around my EZ Gun and I quickly raised it and shot at the oncoming threat. The Boss simply raised her submachine gun and the dart made a harsh _cling_ noise as it deflected harmlessly off it. I made a move to shoot again, but she swiftly brought her foot up and kicked my weapon out of my hands, where it clattered off to the side by Sokolov, who was cowering in the other corner. Much like me.

"Now, I'm going to give you once chance," The Boss said. Her words were directed at Snake and Press, but her eyes were locked on me. "Tell us why you are here and what you hope to accomplish."

They both remained silent, but I figured she already knew who we came for. It was fairly obvious. Was she checking to see if I'd crack under pressure? I tried to hold a brave face and return her piercing stare. My gaze eventually traveled to her right hand, where a Traveler ring was set. How could a fellow Traveler do this? What persuaded her to join the terrorists?

"Time's up," she said. She walked to where my fallen EZ lay and retrieved it, placing her own weapon on the ground. She swiftly shot Press' shoulder, downing him. Another shot at Huey knocked him out for the count. Sokolov didn't even need a dart. He fainted as she turned to face him. Snake and I were left.

Ocelot grinned madly and twirled his revolvers in the air, catching them by the lower part of their barrels and ramming the butt of the weapons into Snake's head. He uttered a slight grunt and collapsed, where Ocelot delivered a hard kick to his side.

The Boss stared at me again. For a second, I thought I saw her eyes soften, but the coldness seeped back into them and the moment was gone. "Tell me…are you the next Traveler of Second Earth?"

I was too scared to answer. I was frozen. I didn't want to die yet.

She simply raised the EZ and shot once more, striking me in my left shoulder with a harsh sting. I don't know what happened after that.

**XxXxXxXx**

…

…

"_Bobby, whatever you do, do not tell them the location of the Mother Base…It had been moved since The Boss defected. She doesn't know where it now resides. She cannot afford to know, at all costs. Just keep your mouth shut. No matter what!"_

…

…

I slowly pulled myself from my sleep, feeling sore all over. How long ago had I dreamed that…? How can they move an entire base to the ocean? Oh well.

I slowly sat up, finding myself in a jail cell of some sort. Alone. A bed was crammed in the far corner, which was what I was lying on. A sink and a toilet were nearby. That was pretty much it. I jumped up and ran to the bars, shouting, "Uncle Press! Snake! Anyone! Can you hear me?"

One of the guards walked up to my cell. "They've been taken in for questioning. Just sit tight for now."

I fell back to the bed and sat heavily. I think I was partly in shock from what had recently happened, because I watched a mouse scramble around under the sink for a good hour. I thought I imagined it, but I heard a scream…

"Hey, kid. Come with me."

The jail guard was back, unlocking my cell. I didn't move. "Where are we going?" I asked. I was suddenly aware that my Codec radio was gone…

"The Boss requested you for…persuasive interrogation."

The way he paused made me shiver. I really didn't want to go now, even if it would possibly mean meeting up with Press and Snake.

The guard walked into my cell and grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet and dragging me out of the cell. We walked (Or in my case, stumbled) along rows and rows of cells, most of which didn't contain any prisoners. I saw one man in a lab coat, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the ground. We turned the corner and faced a thick metal door, which the guard struggled to open.

My legs gave out as I saw the inside. The room itself was about as large as a good-sized bedroom, but nothing comforting was about this place. The room was dimly lit; dark stains covered the walls and floor, even splattered on the ceiling. A rope of chains was welded onto the roof and tied to Snake's wrists. It was the only thing supporting him. His chest was bare, and slashes were carved into his skin, still bleeding. Burns covered his arms and stomach. He managed to lift his head to cast me a hopeless stare. I think that was what scared me the most. Snake…_had given up_…?!

The Boss retrieved me from the guard and he left without a backward glance. The heavy door slammed behind us. Vulgin grinned nastily and Ocelot sneered, twirling one of his guns around. There was one other man in the room…one I hadn't seen before.

He was wearing black pants and a matching shirt. His sleeves were extremely long, reminding me of a cloak of some kind. He had slicked back white hair and piercing, ice blue eyes. I thought my heart stopped. Saint Dane was here.

"Ah, Bobby…so nice to see you have joined us," he said in a dramatic fashion. "As you probably already know, we need some information. Snake was unwilling to give it to us himself."

"Don't do it…Bobby…No matter what they—" Snake was cut off as Vulgin slammed a massive fist into his stomach. He sputtered and coughed, blood flying from his lips, staining the ground a darker red.

"W…where's Uncle Press?" I stuttered.

"He's in a different… _interrogation_ chamber." Ocelot grinned madly.

"So tell us, Bobby," The Boss said. "Why did you come to Groznyj Grand? What did you hope to accomplish?"

I knew they already knew this…so why were they asking me? Again? It was obvious…we had snuck in to rescue Sokolov and Huey! Speaking of them…I hoped they were all right…

I cast Snake a glance, who was holding me in a pleading stare. "I…that's classified…" I said lamely.

Ocelot burst into laughter. "Classified! Look at the little trooper! Already part of the Mother Base like the rest of those little fighters! Fighting to protect information that we could so easily find out ourselves! We don't need him, Boss!"

The Boss glared and took a step toward him. Ocelot cowered and backed up, guns gripped tightly in his hands. I didn't know he feared The Boss so much…

"If he won't tell us why…we still have another subject to question," Saint Dane turned to Snake, who was back to staring at the ground. "Vulgin, if you'd be so kind as to…_persuade_ him."

Vulgin cracked his knuckles, sparks of electricity flying from them. What the heck was going on with this guy…? Did he have some sort of power? He cast me a glare and said, "This is your last chance."

I didn't respond. I could only stare at the bloodstained ground. I was fighting to keep standing.

Electricity crackled around Vulgin's fist as he slammed it into Snake's chest. The next Traveler of First Earth bit back a scream by biting into his lip, drawing more blood and sending it cascading down his chin. A deep burn was left from Vulgin's punch. I tried shout, "no"…I tried to speak at all. But I couldn't. I was frozen.

"Look at him. Pitiful." Ocelot chuckled.

"Let's change tactics," Saint Dane suggested. "Ocelot, see if you can get Snake to talk." He motioned at me.

My eyes widened and I collapsed onto the ground. "Wh…what?"

Ocelot grinned. "My pleasure."

He had both guns in his hand as he began to twirl them into the air…juggling them. "Out of both of these…only one shot is shared between the two of them. You can spare yourself from injury or possible death by telling us what we need to know. Until then…I will shoot until I reach the one loaded one. Keep in mind these both only have six shots." He caught a gun and aimed it at my head and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked on empty. He continued twirling them.

"No…!" I squeaked. I began backing up until my back hit the wall. Another cylinder clicked on empty.

"Stop…Ocelot…" Snake rasped.

"Will you tell us what we need to know?" Ocelot continued juggling the weapons. "If so, keep going. If not…" he pulled another trigger, resulting in another click. "…I'll just keep doing this until I get what I want to know."

I had pulled my knees up to my chest. I was too scared to move…too scared to cry. I could hear Ocelot mocking me.

"Aww…what happened to all the bravery in the Big Shell? What happened to little Mr. Tough Guy? What happened to you? No big Uncle Press to protect you now, huh?"

_Click_.

"You're still very lucky, kid. And you still have a chance to tell us everything before I put a bullet in your head."

_Click_.

"Ocelot…!" Snake wheezed. He choked on his own blood but continued. "Leave him alone…! He's a kid…!"

"A kid who foolishly let himself be caught up in this madness." Ocelot replied. "Vulgin, shut him up unless he wants to tell us everything."

I heard the sickening sound of cracking bones and an anguished-filled scream just as another cylinder clicked on empty. I was running out of shots, and yet I couldn't do anything. I had six left.

"Stop!" I couldn't help it. I stared at Vulgin and screamed again. "Stop it!"

_Click_.

"We…we came here to…" I trailed off. Snake didn't have enough energy to raise his head to stare at me. "To…"

Ocelot kept juggling. "Go on."

"To…" I stuttered. No…I couldn't do this. But on the other hand, Snake may be killed…

Ocelot pulled another trigger. Still no bullet piercing my skin. "You have four shots left. I can't guarantee that many exactly, though."

I stared back at my shoes. "We…we came to rescue Sokolov and Huey…" I couldn't stop myself. I heard Snake sigh.

"Rescue them? You're doing a hell of a job!" Ocelot roared with laughter.

Saint Dane joined in the laugh. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but Sokolov didn't make it past the…" his eyes shone with glee. "_Interrogation._"

I felt my heart drop in my chest. He had a family…and now they were left without a father and a husband…

"I believe that's enough for now. We'll resume this in the morning." The Boss said. She hauled me to my feet and opened the door with ease, leading me back to my cell. I could barely stand on my own feet.

I can't tell you how glad I was to see Press sitting on the bed, ripping up his pant legs to make makeshift bandages for the bleeding gashes on his arms and sides. Huey wasn't there, and Press didn't know where they had hauled him off to. He said they damaged his legs.

Snake was brought back a bit later, all three of us jammed in the tiny cell. He was unconscious and bleeding from new wounds I hadn't seen before in the last ten minutes. Press began treating his burns and slashes while I paced, my legs still feeling unstable.

"Press…" I finally said. "I…I told them why we were here…I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Sokolov spilled his guts before they finally put an end to him. We were lucky he hadn't said anything of incredible importance." Press winced as he sat on the dirty ground. "He was mostly blubbering for mercy…I feel sorry for him. He had a family."

"I know." I sighed. "I'm sorry for what I did too… Now they know I'm the weak link and they'll go after me the most next time."

"The trick is to give them just enough information so they give you what you want to know." Press lowered his voice. "For example…I learned that the Peacewalker and Shagohad are being stored here."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm not exactly sure where, but I guess it's hard to hide two Metal Gear of mass destruction. I'm assuming they're in one of the large sheds somewhere."

"So we need to find them and destroy them." I said.

"If we can. If not…we'll make a special trip back just to carpet bomb this place."

I don't know why, but I laughed. I needed it.

**XxXxXxXx**

Even though the cell was cramped and disgusting, I managed to fall asleep in the corner near the entrance. They hadn't fed us anything, so I was starving when I awoke. Snake was sitting up on the edge of the bed, trying to stand without reopening his wounds.

"Sleep well, Mouse?" he rasped.

"No," I sighed. "Nightmares."

"You're telling me," he muttered.

Press tried to see around the side of the cell door. "I don't see anyone coming…does anyone have anything we can use to pick the lock?"

"No…" I said again.

"Then we're stuck here."

I sighed heavily and leaned my head against the cold stone wall. So this was it…goodbye, life. Goodbye, Territories I will never get to see. Goodbye, Mark…

Someone was walking down the hall…two people, judging by their footsteps. The Boss and Saint Dane walked up to our cell. Press backed away from the door as The Boss unlocked it, motioning with a gun at us. "Snake…Bobby. Come with me."

"You're staying here, Press." Saint Dane grinned.

I drew back to my uncle, the fear I felt earlier crawling back into my system. "No…! I won't go with you!"

"She didn't ask if you wanted to." Saint Dane had grabbed my arm and was pulling me into the hall before I knew what happened. I stumbled and The Boss caught me, much like a mother would for her child…I thought she even gave me an apologetic look.

Snake stood and followed The Boss out of the cell, wincing at the pain in his limbs. Press locked eyes with me and gave me a small smile, as if I were simply going away for a long time…not back to the torture chamber.

We headed out of the hallway, taking a different route this time. I feared what lay ahead. "If you tell us what you know, this can all end," The Boss said at last. "You'll be treated for your injuries. You'll be more comfortable here. Why go on prolonging your misery?"

"How can you speak like that…?" Snake coughed. "You are the Traveler of First Earth! Your role is to protect the Territories! Not side with our enemy!" He was taken by another coughing fit so severe he had to lean against the wall, doubled up. Blood flecked the ground at his feet.

The Boss simply watched, no emotion crossing her stern face. "I have my reasons, Snake. And you have yours. We don't see eye to eye on this matter."

"Hell, we don't."

The Boss let the matter drop and guided us into another room. Waiting there for us were three people. Ocelot, of course, grinned madly as we stepped foot into the chamber. "Back for round two, _Mouse_?" he sneered.

The next man, a tall guy in a light brown trench coat with black, slicked back hair and a goatee of some sort, had a knife in his hand. He was staring at us as though he couldn't wait to slice us into hamburger. I knew this guy from the photo Snake showed me…Vamp.

The last guy was standing in the far corner. He was an older man, with thinning gray hair. He wore glasses and a dark suit, and he was extremely pale. He was staring at the ground, but when we entered the room, he slowly glanced upwards at us, bright eyes glaring, a terrifying smile growing on his face. I think that was what scared me most of all…his smile.

"Back for round two?" Vamp asked in a slow, deep voice. He raised the knife to his lips and licked the blade. I shuddered.

I began looking around the room. It was bigger than the last, and a lot cleaner. What really surprised me was the pool of water in the middle of it. It looked pretty deep. A chain connected to a rope and pulley system snaked down to a pair of handcuffs suspended over the pool. At the edge of the water lay what I thought was a pair of round sticks.

Snake returned Vamp's glare. "Fuck off."

Ocelot laughed. "Is that all you can come up with?"

The Boss pushed us further into the room. Vamp put the blade in a sheathe on his belt and stuck out his leg, pushing me to the side. I hit the water before I knew what happened and struggled to figure out which way was up. It was freezing…the water felt like ice.

I surfaced, sputtering, shivering and coughing, and crawled out. Ocelot aimed a kick at my side, knocking me over again. My ribs ached.

"So…tell us…" Vamp began. "Where is this…Mother Base located?"

My eyes flicked to the old man in the corner. He was still smiling, as though entertained by what was happening. "I…"

"Let's not go through this again," Ocelot drew his revolvers. "Let me do what I did last time. It made him break down and cry."

The Boss grabbed his wrist and one of the guns clattered to the ground. "No. Let me deal with him."

"Fine, fine…" Ocelot mumbled.

The old man in the corner's gaze flicked to The Boss as she retrieved the two stick things by the pool. A look of sadness cross his face, as though longing to talk to her. He didn't budge from where he was standing…he just watched…

The Boss held the stick things in my line of sight. "These," she said. "Can deliver enough electricity to fry your brain. I suggest you tell us what we want to know. I will raise the voltage every time you hesitate or lie."

The sticks began to glow blue as tiny bolts of electricity ran from one to the other. I suddenly realized why a pool was set in the middle of this chamber.

"I will ask one last time," The Boss continued. "Where is this new Mother Base?"

My mind raced. "How should I know!? I joined only a few months ago! All I know is it's in the middle of nowhere! Completely hidden!"

The Boss' eyes stared daggers into my skull. "True, he wouldn't tell new recruits the location of the Base." She cast Snake a glare. "The area. Be more specific."

"A mountainside," Snake spoke up. "Hidden into a mountainside."

"She didn't ask you," Vamp drew the knife and slashed it across Snake's arm. A red gash appeared in his flesh, blood pouring down his arm. He hissed in pain and tried to staunch the bleeding with his other hand.

"Leave him be," The Boss commanded. "If he's so eager to tell us, why stop him?"

She drew closer to him. I shuffled away from the pool's side and found myself staring back at the old man. He looked defeated now…defeated and hopeless. Why hadn't he spoken up by now? He was part of this too, wasn't he?

"Quit staring at the corner, _Mouse_. No one's going to burst through the wall to save you." Ocelot grinned.

"But…!" I stuttered, pointing. "There! A…don't you see him?"

"I'm not falling for that." Ocelot growled. "I aught to put a bullet in one of your limbs right now."

"So tell me, Snake," The Boss said. I turned my attention to her now. "Which mountainside? I know you know…You lead the Base now."

"Why do you want to know?" Snake spat. "So you can slaughter us? So you can crush anyone who gets in your way? So you and these _filthy terrorists_ can control entire nations?!"

The Boss had her gun trained on his face in an instant; both stun rods on the other hand. "You don't understand."

"Yeah? _Then tell me what you plan to do with us._" Snake didn't waver.

The man in the corner…what was he holding…? A sign…? I couldn't read it…

"We plan to bring peace," The Boss said calmly. "Peace to the world. But to do that, we need no resistance. We will bring the nations Metal Gear…machines so advanced nothing can destroy them. The countries will declare war on each other, but they will be unable to win. Not when the Metal Gear are indestructible."

"So you plan to let the people slaughter each other before they realize it is hopeless?" Snake spat.

I had just made out what was on the sign when The Boss' gun went off. I jumped and stared at Snake, who had dropped to the ground, clutching at his right eye. Blood and some sort of clear fluid was running between his fingers, pooling on the ground. He was screaming.

My heart began to beat so fast my ribs hurt. I stared at the man in the corner, pleading with my eyes, for him to do something. The sign he was holding only read, _I am The Sorrow_.

The Boss turned to me. I pressed my back to the wall, more terrified than I had been before. "Perhaps you understand my plans."

"It's wrong!" I shouted before I could stop myself. "This is wrong! And terrible! How can you think like this? The people will find a way to stop the Metal Gear…and then what? The whole world will be destroyed from the wars…you're planning to turn this Territory into a permanent war zone!"

The gun cracked again. I saw a flash of light before the cold bullet sank into my shoulder, shattering a bone. I screamed and clutched at my injured arm, Falling onto my side. Blood poured over my hand, warming it. Tears streamed down my face and I imagined myself dying there, in the chamber.

"That's why we developed the Peacewalker." The Boss continued as my screams died down to pained groans. "It can destroy any Metal Gear it chooses. It could wipe out half a continent. It is our last resort if the countries get out of control."

"IT'S INSANE!" I screamed through gritted teeth. "INSANE! YOU ARE ALL INSANE!" My wound pulsed with pain with every beat of my heart.

Ocelot had dragged Snake to his feet, pinning his arms behind his back. His right eye was gone, replaced instead with a bloody, empty socket. Dark red gore ran down his face and the side of his neck, but his furious look never wavered.

"Handcuff him." The Boss commanded.

Ocelot dragged Snake over to the side of the pool and grabbed the handcuffs waiting there. He shackled one wrist and was about to secure the other when Snake brought his fist up into his jaw with a loud crack. Ocelot fell backwards, clutching at his face. Vamp drew his knife and held it against Snake's neck so hard he drew blood. He quickly cuffed his other hand and walked to the pulley system, raising the chains so Snake was lifted off the ground and dangling over the pool.

"Maybe this will let you see reason," The Boss muttered. She turned from me to watch Vamp. She nodded, and he plunged Snake into the water.

"No!" I shouted. I struggled to stand, but the pain in my shoulder forced me back to the ground. I never expected a bullet to hurt this much…Nor impair so much of my movement…

The Boss left him under for at least thirty seconds. Blood dyed the water a light pink. She eventually motioned for Vamp to raise the pulley system, and he pulled Snake out of the water, hanging limply over the surface. He coughed and sputtered, water pouring from his mouth and nostrils.

The Boss activated the stun rod things again and pressed them both to Snake's burned and slashed chest. He screamed, limbs jerking wildly and uncontrollably. I couldn't take the sound of his anguished cry for help and the pain from the bullet. My vision began to get darker and I managed to clasp my hands over my ears despite the protests of my shoulder. Snake's scream died down after a few more seconds.

"We will bring peace." The Boss said calmly, almost motherly. "You will see."

My vision cleared again. The man in the corner was watching Snake sadly, eyes flicking to The Boss and back. As I watched, he began to cry, tears streaming silently down his face. His left eye began to darken until blood had replaced his tears, his glasses lens cracking and shattering. His eye vanished, to be replaced by an empty, bloodied space. And he began to fade.

**XxXxXxXx**

I was faint and couldn't walk on my own by the time The Boss, Vamp and Ocelot decided to return us to the cell. I couldn't remember what Snake and The Boss had discussed while I was fading in and out of consciousness, but I remember screams. How Snake managed to stay alert and alive was a minor miracle in my book.

I remember Uncle Press calling my name, trying to get a response from me. I wanted to answer him…I really did. But I couldn't. I drifted off into a deep sleep. I dreamed of the man in the corner, with his bleeding eye. I watched and re-watched in my dreams as Snake was shot. I dreamed of the soldiers lined up outside the sick bay. I saw Paz as she sat alone in the mess hall, staring out into the ocean. I felt the bullet pierce my shoulder again.

I think that was what finally made me awaken again…the bullet. I slowly began to make out noises in the background. I focused on them and eventually found myself staring up at a white ceiling. I sat up and received a harsh pain in my shoulder for my actions.

"Mouse! Don't move yet…you need to take it easy…"

Para-Medic was by my side, pushing me back onto the bed. I blinked. Was I really back at Mother Base…? Or was this another dream?

"You've been out for about three days." Para-Medic said. "Any longer and you might not have woken up again."

"What…happened?" I asked. My voice felt rough.

"You were rescued by Mother Base's double agent." She said. "She saved you all."

"Who…?"

"She'll return here in the next hour or so. She has this…'thing' for Snake, you see…" Para-Medic pointed across the sick bay, where Snake was lying motionless. Half his face was bandaged along with most of his body and left arm. "I think she likes him. Just hang tight for now, you'll meet her in a while. Oh, speaking of liking someone…I forgot to tell you Paz never left your side while you were sleeping. She was forced out of the sick bay a while ago because Amanda needed her on the Intel team."

"Paz…?" I blinked stupidly. "Can…can she come back?"

"Of course she can. I'll tell EVA to pick her up if she plans to visit Snake again." Para-Medic turned to head back to her office. "Oh, and your uncle…Lone Wolf. He was worried about you even though his wounds were greater than yours."

I turned to look around the rest of the sick bay. Huey was opposite of me, on another bed. His legs were in some sort of cast and he seemed deeply asleep. I was glad he made it out alive.

I didn't have to wait long before the sick bay doors flew open. ¡_RATÓN_!"

Before I could wonder why someone was calling me a rat, I felt arms wrap around my sides. Paz was crying and laughing and sputtering out things in both English and Spanish. I wrapped my good arm around her and hugged her as best as I could from sitting in a hospital bed with a dud arm.

"They told me terrible stories! They said you had died!" She cried.

"I was close, but I didn't…" I said.

"I'm so glad…!"

Para-Medic chuckled from the doorway of the other room. "Looks like she's got a 'thing' for you too, Mouse."

I rolled my eyes.

The sick bay doors opened again and Press, Raiden and Lobster walked in, all with grins on their faces. They were accompanied by another woman. "Glad to see you're up!" Press laughed.

I thought he looked terrible. His left arm was in a sling, his face was bandaged up, and he was walking with a severe limp. But beside that, he looked incredibly happy. Raiden cast me a grin. "I knew you would make it. That was some rescue mission. I wouldn't have been able to do it myself."

The woman was wearing a zippered jumpsuit. She had blonde, flowing hair that reached the bottoms of her shoulder blades and beautiful, sad eyes. Her lips were red with lipstick. "You're Mouse?" She asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"I'm EVA. The double agent that rescued you from Groznyj Grad."

I shook her hand and Paz finally let me go. "Thank you." I said.

"Don't mention it." She sighed. She walked past me and headed to Snake, where she gently kissed his cheek before sitting silently next to him.

"Is he going to make it…?" I watched her go.

"He'll be fine. He just needs a while to heal." Raiden said.

"What about his eye?"

"It's gone. There was nothing I could do." Para-Medic said. "He's lucky it didn't get infected."

"We all made it." Press said. "Except Sokolov. That poor man."

I cast a glance at Huey, surprised to see that Otacon had taken a seat next to him. His son had buried his face into his hands and was rocking back and fourth, sobbing silently. I was glad Huey had survived, and I was devastated Sokolov hadn't…

And that's where I end this. I'm recovering…but very slowly. As soon as Snake can lift a rocket launcher, we're on our way back to Groznyj Grad to take out the Peacewalker and Shagohad…along with any other Metal Gear that happens to be there.

I hope nothing goes wrong…

** XxXxXxXx**

** You all know what this means…**

** The final conclusion of this story will be here shortly. I'm planning on this being about twelve chapters long at the most…so get ready.**

** Remember to review and follow me on Tumblr!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


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